


Disjointed

by NeoDiji



Category: Tales of Series, Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Character Death only in tagged oneshot, Everything at some point or another, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Pining, Romance, Secret Revelations, boyfriend shirt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-16
Updated: 2018-06-15
Packaged: 2018-11-14 23:06:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 28,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11218119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeoDiji/pseuds/NeoDiji
Summary: Collection of unrelated oneshots where Team Shepherd discovers Mikleo exists, on the premise that Mikleo stays in Elysia when Sorey goes on his journey. Various reactions to and circumstances surrounding Sorey's secret lover, revealed.





	1. Premise -- Divided

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I neither own nor make any profit from this Tales of Zestiria fanfiction. My only proceeds come in the form of kudos, comments, and Tumblr notifications and messages. (@NeoDiji)
> 
> Too many daydreams about this topic. Couldn't choose just one, so I fell back on the oneshot collection idea. The first chapter is the premise for all the following chapter possibilities. Unbeta'ed but written with love. I hope you enjoy~!

Mikleo was well adept at controlling water, but he couldn’t stop the tears streaming from his eyes. Sorey was gone. He’d left to follow that human girl—that Alisha Diphda—in the dead of night, and Mikleo could do nothing but watch as Sorey visibly prayed for forgiveness and understanding before stealing quietly away. Crossing his arms tighter across his chest, Mikleo recalled how his own plan to accompany Sorey had been thwarted. Of course Mikleo knew that Sorey would go. Of course Mikleo was ready to be by Sorey’s side every step. Of course Mikleo had been waiting and preparing for this day for years.

So had Gramps.

“Let Sorey walk the path he believes in,” Gramps had advised, holding Mikleo back by the shoulder. His strong grip was a reminder that despite his rather nonthreatening appearance, he wasn’t some frail old seraph. Quite the opposite, actually. “He will not go astray without you.”

Staring after Sorey’s retreating figure, Mikleo had choked out in a panic, “No, he needs me—”

“Sorey needs the opportunity to grow on his own,” Gramps had interrupted firmly. “He needs time and space to develop his human identity and figure out what he truly wants in life.” Softening his voice, he then added, “He will be influenced if you journey with him. These are personal answers he must discover by himself, for himself.”

It made sense. It made too much sense for Mikleo’s reasonable mind, but dammit—

“If you truly value Sorey as a person,” Gramps had said, sealing the deal, “then respect his needs and wait for him to come home to you. If he comes back, then his return is an answer unto itself.”

That was when Mikleo’s tears had sprung forth, and they hadn’t stopped until long after the last stars had blinked out in the vast Elysia sky. By then, Sorey was long gone, and Mikleo was stuck by a promise. He’d always do what was in Sorey’s best interests, even at his own expense. Their separation would be healthy overall, even if Mikleo felt his heart shatter in the moment. Sorey would be better for the experience in the long run. That was all Mikleo needed to know.

Rampant doubts still dragged Mikleo to his knees. What did Sorey think he was doing? Why hadn’t he just  _asked_ Mikleo to come with him? Maybe Mikleo cared more for Sorey than the other way around. Maybe this was Sorey’s way of subtly telling Mikleo that he wasn’t interested in pursuing their simmering feelings after all…

Mikleo had thought those had finally been going somewhere. Guess not. He jerked from despair as Gramps gently squeezed his shoulder, grounding him amidst a sea of uncertainty. For once, Elysia felt too big and empty.

With a look of understanding, Gramps lightly suggested, “Perhaps Sorey is not the only one who could use this time to grow into himself as an individual, to learn to operate outside of a defining relationship…”

Sighing, Mikleo took the hint and painstakingly staggered to his feet. “I know,” he agreed, his voice crumbling like the ruins he and Sorey had always explored together. “And even while I grow into a new side of myself, I’ll still wait for Sorey.”

“Walk the path you believe in,” Gramps said again, wisely withholding any outright opinion. “Do that, and you will not go astray.”

Firmly nodding, Mikleo took the first step—back towards Elysia, in the opposite direction from Sorey’s course down the mountains towards humanity. At the direction, Mikleo felt lightheaded, untethered. Only one thought bolstered his resolve. Somehow, despite their reverse routes, he’d yet make Sorey the endpoint of his path.

-+-

With a look of wonder, Sorey watched as the glorious sunrise detailed his destination in all its beauty. The world. Then, in particular, Ladylake. He turned excitedly to his left, gushing, “Mik—”

He was alone.

The realization hit him hard then, as if the rising sun was shedding light on the consequences of his impulsive foolhardiness. Doing anything without Mikleo was stupid; Sorey had always believed that. Yet here he was, going on the grandest adventure of his life—and he had no one to share it with. For a brief moment, Sorey weighed the option of going back for Mikleo. Then he remembered the hellion hunting Alisha, and Sorey knew he couldn’t afford to backtrack. This wasn’t a sightseeing trip; this was a time-sensitive mission to save a friend. _After_ he warned Alisha, he could go back for Mikleo and maybe they could explore the world together like they explored ruins. Maybe it would be the opportunity he’d been waiting for, to finally take the next step concerning their evolving relationship...

Sorey shook himself out of it and continued onwards, feeling conflicting senses of urgency to hurry forward—to reach Alisha in time—versus to run home, to Mikleo. Choosing the right path was hard. Every magnificent discovery on his journey was tempered by Mikleo’s absence, every thrill turned lackluster. Quickening his pace, Sorey reminded himself of his priorities. Including safety—not only Alisha’s, but Mikleo’s as well. There was no way Sorey would ever drag his beloved friend—was it friend?—on a dangerous quest. No, it was better for Sorey’s peace of mind that Mikleo remain safe at home. It was just hard to remember that every time Sorey experienced something new and delightful that he wanted to share with Mikleo along the way.

Remembering how the hellion had attacked Mikleo yesterday, Sorey’s smile faltered. He swore he would never see Mikleo put in such a dangerous position again. Thus, their separation for this journey was just a blip in their happiness. Soon, Sorey could go back to Mikleo. He just had to find Alisha in Ladylake and deliver his message. It shouldn’t be too hard, shouldn’t take too long. Absolutely nothing could distract Sorey from his goal of swiftly reuniting with Mikleo on the homeward end of his journey.

At least, he’d full-heartedly believed so.

Until people’s lives were in danger.

Until he had a chance to fulfill his dream of a world where humans and seraphim could coexist.

Until he freed a sword from a stone, shackling him to a new destiny.


	2. Cliche Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The most cliche way everyone could meet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I neither own nor make any profit from this Tales of Zestiria fanfiction. My only proceeds come in the form of kudos, comments, and Tumblr notifications and messages. (@NeoDiji)
> 
> Cliche and unrealistic, but I had so. much. fun. writing this out, so I don't even care. Hope you enjoy~

“You should be able to find a water seraph fit for a pact in Elysia,” Lailah said, consulting her fortune-telling papers by firelight. “That’s a seraph community, unlike anything we’ve seen before. The odds of finding a suitable match are higher there.”

Sorey turned away, trying to hide his blush and very firmly not looking at Alisha when his hometown was mentioned. She was side-eyeing him with curiosity, he could tell out of his peripheral vision, and he wasn’t ready to spill the beans of his upbringing yet. He’d traveled as the Shepherd for several months, picking up a variety of companions on his mission to purify the world of Malevolence. He’d made pacts with a fire, an earth, and a wind seraph and had passed the trials of those elements. He’d sought out most Iris Gems to learn the hidden truth, though he was still missing some key pieces to the story. In short, he’d done almost everything he could do without forming a pact with a water seraph and mastering that element. All without revealing that he’d grown up as the only human among seraphim. In Elysia.

Hearing the village name made Sorey’s stomach flip. Elysia meant home, and home meant Mikleo—

Mikleo was Sorey’s most cherished secret.

Not even Alisha knew of Mikleo’s existence, and she knew more about his personal history than anyone after stumbling across him in Elysia. She’d faithfully kept that information to herself at Sorey’s private request, and Sorey trusted that not even Rose knew his secrets.

It wasn’t that Sorey wasn’t proud of his friend—was it friend?—but rather that talking about his past would make Sorey lonely for it. Leave him prone to Malevolence as he doubted his role as Shepherd. It was easier to stay focused and determined when he wasn’t guilt-ridden over disappearing on Mikleo, and it was easier to avoid dwelling on that regret when no one else in his party knew that it existed and therefore couldn’t bring it up. Just like it was simpler to bite his tongue when Rose demanded to know where his secret stash of mabo curry buns was stored; he just couldn’t lie convincingly. And he didn’t want the depth of his relationship with Mikleo to be poked at on a pedestal; he’d _seen_ how everyone teased Alisha and Rose, and he wasn’t exactly eager to replace them as a roasting target.

Then there was also the fact that Sorey wanted to keep his role as Shepherd separate from the simple life he’d had before, where his biggest concern was whether or not Mikleo returned his feelings to the same extent. He didn’t want those worlds mixing; while he’d done everything to keep them separate, now they were converging on him and he knew there was no putting it off any longer. His team would find out, as surely as Zaveid was bound to ask Rose and Alisha if he could watch them at least two times every night before bed.

Sorey was nervous about how his new friends would react to his past, but he was downright terrified of Mikleo’s reaction to seeing him again after all this time. As Shepherd.

“If Sheps doesn’t pick up a water seraph in Elysia,” Zaveid said with a groan as he leaned back against a tree, “then I’m out of ideas.”

Immediately, Sorey’s mind flashed to stunning purple eyes, pale aquamarine hair, the most _adorable_ pouty face—

Lailah hummed thoughtfully and shifted closer, probably feeling responsible in her role as Prime Lord. “It is odd,” she said slowly, “that it’s taking so long for a Shepherd to make this decision, Sorey.” He’d had no hesitation about forming pacts with the other elemental seraphs, after all. And while they’d happened across a handful of worthy candidates on their journey—Lailah made it clear she’d vote for Uno—Sorey had come up with a reason every single time to back out. They’d even retrieved the bow, the divine artifact necessary for the water elemental pact, and were simply traveling with it in wait.

The truth was, Sorey knew in his heart that there was only one water seraph he’d ever accept as his Sub Lord.

But at the same time, Sorey knew that forming a pact would put Mikleo at risk. Wasn’t that the entire reason he’d avoided even inviting Mikleo on this (at the time, much simpler) journey in the first place? Conflicted, Sorey avoided the issue and made himself feel productive by accomplishing other Shepherd tasks. Now there were no more excuses, and Sorey was no closer to finding his answer.

Terrified he might be, but Sorey’s blood was racing at the thought of being near Mikleo again. He glanced over to see Alisha and Rose snuggling by the campfire, and his heart twisted with stronger longing. He hadn’t felt Mikleo pressed up against him in ages—

Edna jabbed him with her umbrella. “Go to sleep,” she said, not exactly unkindly. “You’re not going to make a decision without seeing your options, so there’s nothing you can do now except see to your problematic human needs.”

With a slow nod, Sorey retired for the night. He closed his eyes, anticipating their next destination with both dread and excitement, and dreamed of his One and Only.

-+-

Alisha studied the ruins critically. “I found Elysia by going through here,” she remembered, pointing. She was stepping lightly, balancing her own account with the need to maintain sensitive information pertaining to Sorey himself. And for that, Sorey was entirely grateful. Alisha took the lead, reaching out for Rose’s hand as she walked. “I thought it was abandoned. I didn’t know it was a village of seraphim,” she said, and that, at least, was the total truth.

Lailah nodded and smiled warmly. “How could you have known?”

It was Alisha’s turn to carefully avoid Sorey’s eye. She squeezed Rose’s hand tighter.

Small talk rose and fell around Sorey, and for once he chose not to join in. He put all his energy into moving forward as fast as possible. Mikleo was waiting—he hoped. As they neared the domain surrounding Elysia proper—Gramps’s domain, Sorey recognized with a wealth of nostalgia—a swarm of hellions descended upon them. Then another, followed by a seemingly endless stream of them. “I didn’t think there were this many hellions on the continent,” Sorey complained, panting as he collapsed to one knee. Spent and confused.

Rose and Alisha predictably covered each other, but they were only human and eventually succumbed to the need to rest. In a rare show of decency, Zaveid launched himself forward to intercept an attack aimed at their huddled forms on the floor—and then promptly ruined it with some lame aside comment about needing to protect two natural babes. Edna’s telltale yawns of boredom turned to actual yawns of exhaustion as the battles endured. So much for months of training.

Lailah rushed to Sorey’s side, full of support but unable to change their circumstances. “We might need to just retreat,” she said, looking around at the battle conditions. “These hellions are only weak to water and ice. We’re not equipped—”

As if summoned, twin torrents of water blasted through the throng of enemies. The water-based artes scattered the hellions as they kept coming, and Sorey’s heart rose with every successful attack. Beaten to the ground, he beamed his widest smile as their staff-spinning savior leapt into their midst. Lailah’s shoulders relaxed in gratitude, and Edna peered at the new arrival with an unreadable expression. Zaveid shrugged, glad for the break, and gestured that they should flee back down the hallway from whence they came. Rose and Alisha simply stared in awe at the beautiful water seraph.

The beautiful, _angry_ water seraph. Unleashing another attack, he spun around and snapped, “What’s wrong with you?!”

“He’s right,” Lailah said quickly. “We should go while he covers us. The hellions will just regroup if we stay.”

Sorey used his ceremonial sword to push himself weakly to his feet. “I’m not leaving him,” he said, taking a step nearer to Mikleo. “Never again,” he whispered, causing Lailah—the only one within hearing distance—to give him an odd look.

Mikleo’s eyes widened at Sorey’s stubborn attitude, though Sorey could see Mikleo’s fear for him as clear as crystal. It felt like no time had passed. Finally shaking his head, Mikleo caved. “Fine. I’ll go with you and guard your rear.” (Despite the wrong timing, Sorey’s cheeks burned at the double entendre that could be read into Mikleo’s words.)

Agreeing, Sorey motioned his team—plus Mikleo!—to withdraw. They were tired, but with Mikleo’s assistance, they managed to get a safe distance away from the hellions’ supposed territory before taking a breather.  Sorey couldn’t keep his eyes off Mikleo no matter how hard he tried, though to be fair he wasn’t even remotely trying.

Mikleo kept glancing at him, his facial expressions ranging from annoyed to upset to relieved and happy.

Lailah broke the awkward silence. “Thank you! However did you know we needed help?”

Mikleo jerked his head towards her with a blink, as if only now realizing there were more people in the room than just Sorey. Blushing lightly, he turned aside and mumbled, "I sensed Sorey coming." Edna raised an eyebrow. Rose leaned into Alisha, catching Mikleo’s attention and causing a slight frown to appear. Zaveid sauntered over and draped an arm around Lailah’s shoulder, echoing her sentiment. (Sometimes he had manners. Sometimes.)

Squaring his shoulders, Sorey walked over and fell to one knee before Mikleo. He grasped Mikleo’s hand and stared beseechingly into his face, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes. After witnessing Mikleo save them all, Sorey had found his answer and he was never letting go. “Will you,” Sorey murmured softly, “vow to form a lasting bond with me? Share your power? Your very _self_?”

Lailah gasped and took a step back at the unexpected direction this was going. Sorey knew he was confusing his companions after his long, stubborn refusal to form a water elemental pact. Granted, Mikleo _had_ just saved them, but he must have seemed no more extraordinary than some of the other water seraphs they’d considered for Sorey. They were about to find out just how wrong they were.

“Will you stay with me?” Sorey continued, his tone pleading as his fingers clutched Mikleo tighter. “Will you state your true name?”

Lailah fell into Zaveid at that one, clearly shocked and mortified that Sorey was so casually asking for a sacred true name—

Mikleo rolled his eyes, though there was the hint of a fond smile tugging at his lips. “Don’t tell me you forgot it already,” he chastised, meeting Sorey’s stare.

Sorey hurriedly shook his head. “Never,” he said, his voice thin and watery. With a deep breath, he proposed, “S-so, will you…? Will you be _my_ water seraph?”

Again, Mikleo sighed with amused exasperation. “You asked me a long time ago, Sorey,” he said, earning confused looks from everyone else. “My answer has never changed.”

Weak with relief, Sorey tugged Mikleo down to him since he didn’t think he could stand. He threw himself into Mikleo’s arms right there on the ruins floor with a dry sob, burying his face in Mikleo’s neck as tremors wracked his body. “I—I’m so s—sorry,” he said around the cracks in his voice, clinging tighter.

Mikleo closed his eyes and held Sorey close, nuzzling into Sorey’s nape. “You’re back,” he said, his voice slipping into the same cracks as Sorey’s. Like always. “Isn’t that all that matters?”

Before Sorey could respond, Edna smacked her umbrella on the floor. “Mind explaining?” she asked tartly.

“Edna!” Lailah whined. “They were having a moment!”

Smirking, Zaveid added his (worthless) two cents. “This _is_ a sight for the history books. Our pure, romantically-reserved Shepherd finally reaching out to someone like that. _You_ know what I mean,” he said, finishing with an exaggerated wink.

Sorey, who had lifted his face at the term ‘history books,’ blushed bright red, noticing (and appreciating) how Mikleo’s face burned a matching color.

Getting himself under control, Mikleo cocked his head. “Shepherd?” he echoed, carefully neutral.

“Of _course_ he’s the Shepherd,” Edna lectured. “Do you have eyes? Don’t you see the traditional Shepherd’s Cloak? Or maybe you missed how he was purifying hellions before your intervention?” Clucking her tongue, she continued, “And don’t tell me you can’t sense his level of resonance. In these days, only a Shepherd could—”

Mikleo glared at her and hugged Sorey even tighter. “Sorey has _always_ had an impressive resonance,” he snapped, ignoring the rest of her arguments in his obvious indignation. “How could he have managed to survive in Elysia his whole life without it?”

Everyone stared at Sorey, stunned. Alisha smiled like she finally understood a complex puzzle.

“Um, this is Mikleo,” Sorey said sheepishly, deciding to start with the most important fact. “He’s my…uh…” Trailing off, he again wondered exactly where he stood with Mikleo. Were they friends? More than friends? Had anything changed during their separation? “He’s my…that is, he’s…”

Breathing out calmly through his nose, Mikleo interjected, “I’m Sorey’s water seraph.”

“Finally,” Edna groaned. “Just what we needed. A water seraph.”

Giggling into her fan, Lailah argued, “I think the more important part of his introduction was that he’s not just any water seraph—he’s _Sorey’s_. Not the Shepherd’s—but _Sorey’s_.”

At the observation, Sorey snuggled closer into Mikleo and shyly met his gaze. The world around him ceased to exist outside of Mikleo’s eyes. Noticing Mikleo lean in, Sorey angled his head and lightly brushed their noses together, his own eyelids falling to half-mast as he stopped and waited, sharing breath with Mikleo but not pushing for more.

Alisha and Rose shared a knowing smile.

“That’s great and all,” Edna drawled, “but don’t you think you could have told us about your boyfriend a little sooner, Sorey? It’s not like we’re on a time-crunch mission to purify the world, or anything. It’s not like we could have used him sooner.”

Sorey’s face burned brighter and he pulled back, trying to think without the familiar scent of Mikleo driving him mad. Should he reject the relationship label? What would make Mikleo more comfortable? And, oh yeah, Edna kind of had a point about the other things. Sorey just cared more about his initial worry at the moment. Priorities and all that.

“It would have been nice to know,” Lailah said, diplomatically stepping between Sorey and Edna. “If you already had someone in mind, you could have been building up your water armatization synchronization all these months. That form will be your weakest now from lack of practice.”

Sorey ducked his head. “I don’t think that will be a problem,” he mumbled.

Rose snickered.

Mikleo raised an eyebrow.

“We’ll form the pact,” Sorey said, eyes shining, “and then you’ll see, Mikleo.” He couldn’t wait to armatize with Mikleo, to merge with him completely— He blushed. How many times had he dreamed of this possibility? Since the moment Lailah had revealed his true power as the Shepherd, Sorey’s mind and heart had yearned to experience it with Mikleo. He just knew they’d naturally complete one another, and he wouldn’t need the same steep learning curve he’d needed with the other seraphs. Mikleo was special, always would be. Sorey again got swept into Mikleo’s sophisticated violet eyes as Lailah started her pact incantation, and he only jerked back to attention with a startled laugh-yelp when Mikleo snuck in a tickle attack. That cheater.

Lailah took a step forward. “Now, state your true name.”

Mikleo stared at Sorey expectantly. Alisha held her breath. Rose offered a thumbs-up. Zaveid winked. Edna twirled her umbrella but gave a slight nod. Lailah leaned forward eagerly. Mikleo was still staring, still waiting, and Sorey had promised never to keep Mikleo waiting ever again—

Grinning triumphantly, Shepherd mission goal achieved and heart fulfilled, Sorey stood and extended his hand. “LUZROV RULAY!!!”


	3. Red-handed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More cliche self-indulgence. More humor. More fluff. More flustered Mikleo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I neither own nor make any profit from this Tales of Zestiria fanfiction. My only proceeds come in the form of kudos, comments, and Tumblr notifications and messages. (@NeoDiji)
> 
> Remember, this oneshot has absolutely nothing to do with the last one (Cliche Hero). Consider this set after the premise chapter. This is just another way Team Shepherd could discover Mikleo. Completely it's own canon-divergent AU, and I have no answers as to why everyone's here. I just wanted them to be, for maximum reactions. xD ~~So the short answer is, because I said so. :P~~

“Where’s S—Sorey?” Alisha asked around a hiccup. She looked around the Ladylake inn, the bar area less crowded now than it had been a few hours ago. Rose was talking to Dezel in the corner. Zaveid was hitting on Lailah near the fireplace. Edna was messing with humans by moving their drinks around when they weren’t looking. But Sorey…well, Sorey was nowhere in sight. Alisha couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen him. Then again, she’d been a bit…preoccupied.

Rose stumbled over and slung her arm around Alisha’s shoulders. “Maybe he went home with someone,” she suggested with an eyebrow waggle. Beer sloshed over the rim of her cup.

“Sorey?” Alisha asked skeptically, holding up her girlfriend with a slight grimace. 

Sighing, Rose admitted, “Yeah, you’re right. Sorey’s never even _glanced_ at anyone in all the months we’ve traveled together.”

Dezel silently nodded his agreement as he came up behind Rose. “Our pure-hearted Shepherd doesn’t chase conquests.”

Zaveid plopped down into a chair next to the young women. “Such a waste,” Zaveid said, pouring some of Rose’s beer into his own mug. She could buy more, whereas he could not. Sometimes being invisible to human bartenders had its drawbacks. Zaveid didn’t like problems, though he tended to cause a fair amount; at least only the Shepherd party heard him drunkenly roar, “Sorey is the freaking Shepherd, for crying out loud! He could get all the tail he wants.”

Groaning, Edna came up out of nowhere and smacked Zaveid with her umbrella; Dezel wisely ducked under her swing.

Lailah followed with a tight smile. “Now, now. Whether Sorey is _interested_ or not is none of our business.” She took a polite sip of her own beverage. “Especially with how much he keeps to himself about private matters.”

Alisha nodded. Sorey was warm and friendly, but distant about certain personal things. Since those matters weren’t related to Shepherd business, no one pressed him. Sorey gave so much, it was unthinkable to pry into parts of his life that he’d deliberately kept off-limits.

Zaveid drained his mug and slammed it on the table, wiping at his mouth with his bare arm. “What do you think Sheps likes in bed?”

“Nothing,” Alisha said quickly, trying to shut down the conversation. “Didn’t we just go over this?”

Shaking his head, Zaveid drunkenly disagreed, “Naahhhh. Hey, maybe he likes women with huge knockers!”

Lailah frowned. “Zaveid!”

Rose jumped on the bandwagon. “Probably not. He’s had lots of offers from women flashing their busts at him, and all he does is turn away.”

Zaveid roared with laughter. “So he’s a gentleman,” he acknowledged with a nod, “but maybe he _likes_ those bouncing tits deep down.”

Alisha pursed her lips. “That’s crude,” she said stiffly, taking a step back and dragging Rose with her. “I’m sure Sorey would be mortified if he knew you were talking about him like this.”

“If he doesn’t like it,” Zaveid shot back, “then maybe he should fill in our assumptions with real answers, huh?”

Lailah sighed. “It’s no use arguing with Zaveid when he’s had this much to drink,” she said softly, putting a hand on Alisha’s shoulder. “He won’t remember tomorrow anyway.” She glanced at their assembled team, in various states of inebriation. “We should still look for Sorey and make sure he’s safe.”

Nodding, everyone spread out to search the area. They reconvened a half hour later at the bar, confirming that Sorey was nowhere downstairs, not lurking outside nearby for some fresh air, not in the local Shrinechurch, and not at the lake. Nor, according to the servants, had he gone to Alisha’s manor.

“We should check the obvious,” Dezel said in a low tone. “Maybe Sorey just went to bed early.”

Rose snorted. “Without checking in with any of us? He’s way too conscientious for that.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to check the rooms,” Lailah said, looking towards the stairs. “Just to rule out the possibility.”

Shrugging, Zaveid led the way upstairs. He walked to the end of the hallway, struggled with the doorknob, and finally fell in as the door banged open. Edna calmly walked over his prone body, being sure to step on his head. She stopped dead with one heel against Zaveid’s temple, her gaze locked on the bed. Lailah gasped loudly and rushed inside, then froze when reality didn’t change. Dezel sniffed the air, and his lips tightened into a thin line. Rose shoved him in all the way so she could drag Alisha into the room, and then she, too, went as still as some of the statues she traded. Alisha’s eyes simply widened in shock.

Because there, in the middle of the bed, lay their sleeping Shepherd—bare-chested and contentedly curled around another young man, curious in that he was intimately, halfway dressed in Sorey’s standard blue shirt with some buttonholes flapping open to reveal reddened, mouth-shaped bruises on his pale skin.

-+-

“Holy Maotelus,” Zaveid breathed, slowly climbing to his feet. “I’m in an alcohol coma. I must be.”

Violet eyelids fluttered open in the dim lamplight. The haze of sleep cleared quickly from the stranger’s eyes as he tensed in Sorey’s arms, his panicked gaze darting all over the room. “Sorey,” he hissed, nudging Sorey’s shoulder. “Sorey!”

“Well,” drawled Zaveid, “at least you learned his name before you bedded him.”

It was hard to say whether the stranger’s face or Alisha’s turned a darker red.

Clearing his throat, the white-haired young man shifted uncomfortably against Sorey. He looked cornered.

Lailah gasped again, peering closely at the blue tips of his hair. “Oh, you’re a seraph!”

The stranger—a water seraph, to be precise—nodded once. Quickly. His voice seemed broken.

Lailah smiled. “We don’t normally stumble across other seraphim like _this_.” Looking to the ceiling, she tapped her chin and mused, “I thought we knew all the seraphim around Ladylake.”

“…not from Ladylake…” Or maybe not so broken.

Rose snorted and plopped herself on the floor. “Right, so you just _happened_ to be passing through Ladylake the same night we were, and you just _happened_ to hook up with one of the only humans who could possibly see you.”

Again, the water seraph blushed so hard he might as well have been a fire element.

Sorey stirred then and only hugged his bed-partner even tighter, whining in a slurred voice, “Mikleeeooooo, relax.”

Huffing, the water seraph said, “I’ll relax when your new friends _stop staring at us in bed together_.”

At that, Sorey rolled over and smiled sleepily, stretching and showcasing a matching set of hickeys all over his chest. They were fairly impressive, even by Zaveid’s standards. “Hi, guys!” Sorey chirped. He idly stroked his water seraph’s hair, a content and peaceful expression on his face that contrasted beautifully with his bed-partner’s upset look.

Everyone stared silently for a moment.

Sorey blinked once, twice, and then finally sat up in a rush. “Crap!” he squawked, looking more lucid. “What are you guys doing—”

“Us?” interrupted Edna with a raised eyebrow. “What are _you_ doing, Sorey? Or should we ask, _whom_ are you doing?”

Sorey tilted his head, clearly confused. “What does that even mean?”

The strange water seraph buried his face in Sorey’s bare shoulder and groaned.

Zaveid smirked, glad to have one of his questions answered at last. “Sorey likes ‘em loud,” he noted casually, nodding like he approved. Which he did.

At his words, the water seraph clamped his lips together. He was a quick learner.

Sorey just blinked. “Uh…”

Lailah stepped forward, waving Zaveid back. “We’ll step out a moment so you can…make yourselves presentable.” She coughed, looking away embarrassedly, and ushered everyone out the door.

Two minutes later, after lots of shocked whispering (“Is it an illusion? Where’s Symonne?”), they all trampled in again. Sorey was dressed in his black undershirt and normal pants, though he was missing an earring. The water seraph had also donned some pants to round out Sorey’s blue shirt, now buttoned up completely. From the way Sorey was staring at the rumpled water seraph with the softest and giddiest smile (which was saying something, because it was _Sorey_ ), he highly approved of his partner’s wardrobe of borrowed clothes. They were sitting close together on the hastily made bed, shoulder to shoulder as they waited for the interrogation to begin. Silent and resigned. Honorable, all things considered.

Lailah took the lead and sat in a chair, obviously trying to be level with them. She waited while Rose and Alisha mirrored their position on the second bed in the room, so that they were facing each other comfortably. Dezel and Zaveid both leaned against the wall, and Edna sprawled out like a cat right on the floor. As soon as everyone was settled, Lailah cleared her throat. “Who is your friend, Sorey?” she asked, delicately weaving her way around the awkward.

Sorey brightened, his eyes glowing with warmth and affection. His typical enthusiasm bubbled over. “This is Mikleo!” he said proudly, squeezing the water seraph tight against his side.

Clapping her hands in joy, Lailah leaned forward in her chair with a grand smile of welcome. Alisha gave a small wave, while Rose gave an exaggerated one. Dezel nodded slightly. Edna offered no reaction, her face carefully stony. “…’Sup Mikster,” Zaveid said, ignoring Lailah’s warning look.

 “It’s Mikleo,” the newly-named water seraph corrected him with a frown, growing more agitated by the second. “Mikleo!”

“So, Mikky, my man,” Zaveid barreled on, shifting against the wall. With a sly look, he asked, “How did you end up here?”

Mikleo closed his eyes for a moment and took quite a few deep breaths. He was obviously worked up and he looked ready to snap. “I walked,” he finally said, his voice flat as he impressively reined himself in.

Sorey laughed and nuzzled into Mikleo’s neck, surprising everyone again with how comfortable he seemed with the water seraph. Pulling back after a moment, eyes twinkling, he corrected, “I’m pretty sure I carried you over the threshold.”

Rose’s head shot up in surprise. “You what?”

“Nothing!” Mikleo said quickly, slapping a hand over Sorey’s mouth. “You did no such thing.”

Sorey narrowed his eyes playfully, the gleam of mischief still obvious.

“I mean it!” Mikleo said, the pitch of his voice rising. “I’ll—I’ll tell Gramps that _you_ were the one who knocked over that bookcase at his special meeting!”

Sorey inhaled deeply at the threat. Peeling Mikleo’s fingers off his mouth, he breathed, “You wouldn’t _dare_.”

“ _Try_ me.”

“That’s enough,” Dezel barked, striding closer to the center of the room. “You told us your name, but we still have no idea who you are or why you’re in Sorey’s bed.”

Leaning into Sorey’s side, Mikleo said simply, “There’s one answer that fits both your questions.” He threaded his fingers through Sorey’s atop the bed sheets, the contact visibly soothing his stress, and added calmly, “I’m his boyfriend.”

(Sorey’s smile was like _two_ suns.)

Lailah sighed happily at the pure romance, and Alisha smiled her support. Rose offered a wink and a thumbs up. Dezel grunted his approval. Even Zaveid nodded his respect for Mikleo’s role, followed by a neutral, “That’s cool.”

Edna snorted and rolled over, tipping her head backwards to see the surprising couple. “You’ve been Sorey’s boyfriend for, what, two hours?”

“Technically speaking,” Mikleo said, his tone chilly and his eyes narrowed in warning.

Sorey winced and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. “Well, that’s my fault…”

Mikleo was silent, signifying his agreement.

Sighing, Sorey explained, “We would’ve gotten together a long time ago if I wasn’t so stupid.”

Mikleo shook his head and wrapped both arms around Sorey’s torso. “I wouldn’t say ‘stupid,’” he mused thoughtfully. “Maybe selfish, reckless, impulsive, ridiculous…” His violet eyes were dancing with humor, and they looked a far cry from the violet ice chips they’d been before. Sorey seemed to have that effect on him, interestingly enough.

Frowning, Sorey pressed his face into Mikleo’s hair. “Those aren’t any better,” he whined sulkily.

Alisha giggled, and even Lailah held her fan over her mouth to cover her smile. Rose smirked wickedly, enjoying the show. Dezel seemed not to care, and Zaveid was having the time of his life. Edna rolled over again and kicked her boots lazily in the air. “So, Loveleo—”

“It’s _Mikleo_!”

“—Loveleo,” Edna repeated, as if there had been no interruptions. “It sounds like you know Sorey from before he became Shepherd.”

“We grew up together,” Sorey said quickly, his voice slightly muffled by Mikleo’s hair. “Mikleo’s been my best friend for as long as I can remember. I’ve…loved him always.”

Mikleo gasped at the public confession, then turned and tilted his face so Sorey’s lips brushed his own instead of the side of his head. “I’ve loved you just as long,” he said softly, one hand reaching to cradle the back of Sorey’s skull as they plainly entered their own little world.

Sorey pressed forward for harder contact, for an actual kiss. He kept it short, but both their eyes were shining all the same when he pulled back again. “I was so stupid to leave you,” he murmured.

Mikleo was silent, signifying his agreement. But his eyes softened even further at the admission.

Edna gagged in the background, but it did nothing to deter the lovebirds who were still completely lost in each other.

“I learned my lesson,” Sorey said, dropping a couple quick kisses on Mikleo’s cheek. “I’ll never—from now on, Mikleo, it’s me and you…”

Lailah cleared her throat and clasped her hands together, bursting their bubble. “Ahem, Sorey, what about your Shepherd duties?”

Sorey dropped his head on Mikleo’s shoulder.

“I’ll simply have to come along,” Mikleo said, confidently inviting himself on their quest. He carded his fingers through Sorey’s hair, returning the affection that was so freely given. “Where Sorey goes, I go. Really, I…I was crazy to _let_ him leave without me last time. I won’t let it happen again.”

Everyone startled at the pure determination in his tone. “As I’m sure you’ve figured out,” Lailah said delicately, “without a pure vessel, the Malevolence will taint you. If you’re going to travel with us, then you need—”

“He should make a pact,” Rose suggested excitedly with a snap of her fingers. “We needed a water seraph anyway. Right?”

Mikleo nodded against Sorey’s hair. “I’ve already agreed to make a pact and fight alongside you. Sorey and I got all that worked out before…uh…” He blushed bright red then, and squeezed his eyes shut.

“Before you ended up in bed together,” Zaveid concluded with a boisterous smirk. “Man, Sheps, I’m so proud of you.”

Mikleo squeaked and opened his eyes in surprise.

Sorey laughed, lifting his head. “That’s just Zaveid,” he said. “Better get used to it, Mikleo.”

“I suppose I’ll have to,” Mikleo said with a stiff glare in Zaveid’s direction. He shifted against Sorey for a stronger hold. “I’m not letting anything—even perverted companions—keep me from Sorey’s side.”

“Aw,” Alisha said, reaching for Rose’s hand. “That’s adorable!”

“That’s Mikleo!” agreed Sorey with an enthusiastic head bob. “Totally adorable.”

“Sorey!”

“Mikleo, you _know_ I can’t lie—”

“That makes it even worse!”

Sorey chuckled and snuck in a quick kiss on Mikleo’s nose, beaming as the red on Mikleo’s face spread outward. “I do believe I’ve proven my point,” he teased. “And you said I could never prove my arguments…”

“For the last time, Sorey, you had no definitive evidence that the architecture of those ruins dated pre-Asgard—!”

“Just great,” interrupted Edna with a groan and an eye roll. “We have a second Sorey. Like we needed another ruin geek.”

“I like exploring ruins,” piped up Alisha from across the room.

Her voice, unlike Edna’s complaints, stopped the heated debate over historical design structure. Mikleo lifted an eyebrow and sniffed. “I remember,” he said bluntly, refusing to meet her eyes.

Tilting her head innocently to the side, Alisha blinked. “Huh?”

Sorey glanced between the two before he burst out laughing. “Oh man, Mikleo, you’re _still_ jealous?”

“I WAS NEVER JEALOUS!”

“…Yeah, he’s just jealous,” Sorey determined dismissively, placating Alisha with a mild shrug and a small smile.

Mikleo steamed. “I’M NOT JEALOUS, SOREY!”

“Denialeo, you’re hurting my ears,” Edna drawled.

Casting a fierce glare in her direction, the water seraph screeched, “My name is Mikleo, and I AM NOT JEALOUS!”

“Wow, he _can_ get loud. Is he always this jealous?” Rose asked, laying her head on Alisha’s shoulder.

Mikleo fumed and yelled even louder. “NO, I AM NOT!”

“So tonight, you’re _extra_ jealous,” deduced Edna. “Lucky us.”

Jumping in, Sorey put his hands up to stop the round of teasing before Mikleo burst. “He never had reason to be before Alisha came to Elysia,” Sorey said with another shrug. “So it’s hard to say.”

“Oh!” Alisha said, eyes widening as something fell into place. “You thought—oh no, you’ve got it all wrong, Mikleo.” She swept her fingers through Rose’s hair, relaxing into her. “Rose and I are—”

Mikleo frowned, cutting her off. “Sorey still left Elysia to follow you,” he said. “…He still chose you, even if it wasn’t romantic.”

“I never chose Alisha,” Sorey said earnestly. “I just had to warn her about that hellion. And then I got caught up in being the new Shepherd. My plan was always to come home to you!”

Shaking her head, Edna shot Rose and Alisha a dry look. “As if _one_ sappy couple isn’t enough for this group.”

“We get to see double the love!” argued Lailah with a little giggle. “I think it’s wonderful.”

“You would,” Edna muttered under her breath.

Zaveid chuckled approvingly. “I’m just glad to finally know where Sorey’s tastes lie,” he said. “Mikky-boy, I tell ya, I didn’t think Sheps here even _had_ hormones.”

For once, Mikleo relaxed at Zaveid’s words before staring deeply into Sorey’s green eyes. “You waited for me,” he said wonderingly, brushing their noses together. It was easy to see the very second he visited Sorey-World as his whole body sagged into his boyfriend’s.

“Of course I did,” Sorey breathed, conversely traveling to Mikleo-World. Their paths met somewhere in the middle. “I told you, Mikleo, it’s always only been you.”

“I was so scare—I mean, I thought you’d—and when you didn’t come back home—and I just didn’t know—”

Sorey kissed him into silence. Mikleo kept trying to talk, something about “Ladylake” and “follow” before he just gave up and let himself be thoroughly kissed. And kissed. And kissed some more. And kissed. Oh, and then he was kissed. And kissed. The other occupants in the room politely averted their gazes (except Zaveid, who leaned forward in wide-eyed excitement), and still Mikleo was kissed. Then he was kissed deeper, producing a little moan of satisfaction. And as the minutes dragged on, he was kissed and kissed and kissed. Finally pulling back, panting heavily, Sorey reassured him in a low tone, “If I didn’t have responsibilities as a new Shepherd, I would’ve run back to you faster than the wind.”

Mikleo nodded slowly. “I figured,” he said, gasping for air and clutching tightly to Sorey’s undershirt, where they’d ended up somewhere during the prolonged kissing spree. “Based on the rumors I heard after I arrived in Ladylake. I know it wasn’t your fault, per se…”

“I still should’ve written you a letter or something,” Sorey said with a wince.

Mikleo was silent, signifying his agreement. His eyebrow went up questioningly.

“…I didn’t think of it,” admitted Sorey, hanging his head. His mussed hair flopped onto his forehead, in disarray after being subjected to Mikleo’s busy, wandering hands.

“See?” Mikleo pointed out in a fond tone. “Ridiculous.”

“What’s ridiculous is that we’re all still here having this conversation,” Dezel interjected curtly, drawing their attention back to reality. “They obviously want some alone time. Now that we know the story, I say we give these lovebirds their privacy.”

Mikleo nodded, clearly grateful for the support through his embarrassment at realizing what they’d all witnessed. “I like this one,” he said quickly, making a shooing motion at the door.

Lailah bounced up and nodded. “Oh, of course! We’ll see you two in the morning.” With a wink over her shoulder, she teased, “Have fun, boys!” and sauntered out the door, followed by Rose and Alisha who could empathize with Sorey and Mikleo’s situation better than anybody. Dezel huffed and bodily steered Zaveid out of the room, using his wind artes to push him along.

Edna, the last one remaining, stiffly stood up and pointed her umbrella at them. “No more nauseating surprises, you two.”

Sorey chuckled and looked to the ceiling. “I liked my surprise tonight,” he confessed with a blush. “I wasn’t expecting Mikleo to show up out of nowhere, or that all our feelings would boil over like this.”

That time, Mikleo initiated the kiss.

Edna sighed through her nose but smiled softly at the kissing couple only when they were too involved in each other to notice. “Good,” she whispered before turning on her heel and opening her umbrella. “Don’t get too wild, Sorey. Liplockleo.”

Sorey whimpered at a sudden loss—

“IT’S MIKLEO! _MIKLEO!_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What is your favorite reaction? :o


	4. Hidden Weakness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heldalf has a hidden weapon that Team Shepherd is not prepared to face. (Beware ANGST.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I neither own nor make any profit from this Tales of Zestiria fanfiction. My only proceeds come in the form of kudos, comments, and Tumblr notifications and messages. (@NeoDiji)
> 
> Remember, this oneshot has absolutely nothing to do with any of the others. Consider this set after the premise chapter. This is just another way Team Shepherd could discover Mikleo. Completely it's own canon-divergent AU.
> 
> BEWARE ANGST. MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH. GRAB TISSUES.

Sorey’s confidence was spreading to his whole team, despite the field of dragons that lay between them and the Lord of Calamity, Heldalf. This was what they’d been training for, and they were ready to purify the world. It was about damn time.

“So, Shepherd,” said Heldalf, his voice booming from a distance. “I know you looked into my past during your foolish little quest.” With a taunting smirk and a snap of his fingers, he goaded, “Did you not think that I’d dig into your personal history, too? Find _your_ chink?”

Sorey’s eyes widened, and his sword started shaking uncontrollably in his hand. Lailah and Alisha gave him concerned looks, but Sorey’s gaze was focused on the injured and unconscious seraph suddenly floating by Heldalf’s lion head. A strangled sound escaped Sorey’s throat, and he lurched forward unthinkingly—almost directly into a dragon, before Zaveid yanked him back.

“I don’t even need my dragon army,” cackled Heldalf. “This,” he said, using his powers to lift the bruised and battered seraph victim higher, “is the only weapon I really need. Isn’t that so, Shepherd?”

Green eyes swimming with tears, Sorey took another step forward. This time, sensing his determination, Lailah and the others surrounded him as added protection. Sorey made another choked sound, audible even over the rush of dragon wings. “Mik—Mik—” he whispered raggedly, stumbling before righting himself and suddenly streaking off towards danger.

Zaveid leapt into action, using his wind artes to catch up to Sorey and to clear a path through the dragons. “What’s going on?” he shouted, looking over his shoulder to see the rest of their team sprint forward, taking advantage of the opening he made.

Gasping, Lailah managed, “I thought we had everything covered!”

“Apparently not,” Edna said, kicking a wall of earth into a diving dragon. “Guess Sorey has a secret weakness, too.”

“Who is it?” Alisha asked, swerving around one of Rose’s attacks.

Rose shrugged. “Dunno,” she said, running faster. “I’ve never heard Sorey mention anyone.”

Lailah shook her head. “Me neither.”

It was then Sorey put on a burst of speed and launched himself at the floating seraph.

Oddly enough, Heldalf did nothing to stop him. He simply laughed and took a step back, as if respecting the Shepherd and seraph. “Think about it, Shepherd Sorey,” he said, waving a paw. “Join me, and I’ll heal your beloved.”

Zaveid blinked. “Beloved?” he echoed in shock.

Lailah’s lips thinned and she waved everyone to again make a circle around Sorey and his—beloved. Supposedly. Perhaps that explained why Sorey was never interested in romance during their long journey. But then, it would have been useful to know that their enemy had a potential card up his sleeve.

Cradling the beaten seraph close, Sorey hung his head and murmured brokenly, “M—Mikleo…” Tears of anguish poured down his cheeks, dripping off his chin into blood-stained, matted white hair. “Mikleo, please,” Sorey gasped, closing his eyes and praying. “Oh Maotelus, save him…save Mikleo…”

Again, Heldalf laughed. “Maotelus works through me now, Shepherd. Are you accepting my offer to join me?”

Lailah inhaled sharply but bit her tongue. It had to be Sorey’s answer.

“D—don’t do it,” coughed the abused seraph, eyelids fluttering open to reveal hazy violet eyes. “Sor—ey, be strong…”

Sorey startled and leaned closer. “Mikleo!” he croaked, his voice affected by more than the poisonous fumes in the air. “Y—you…”

The seraph, Mikleo, rested his head on Sorey’s shoulder. Despite no one on the team ever having even heard of him before, the scene looked natural, as if he belonged there—with Sorey.

Sniffing deeply, Mikleo murmured in a voice like water drenching the dusty air, “I’m so glad, Sorey.” He weakly lifted a hand, which Sorey caught and held lovingly in his. A small smile turned Mikleo’s mouth before he said, “I was…afraid…I’d never…see you again…” His words were soft, but his message spoke volumes and he feebly squeezed Sorey’s hand. Through shallow breaths, he added, “Be the…Shepherd…of Legend…like we always…read about…in the…Celestial…Record…”

“But Mikleo—!”

Going limp in Sorey’s arms, Mikleo closed his eyes and let out a low moan of pain. “Be the Shepherd,” he said again, his voice dropping to almost inaudible. “For me, Sorey.”

Body trembling, Sorey managed a single nod. “Y—yes.”

“Save this world,” Mikleo ordered gently. “And I’ll be…waiting for you…in the next one, where we can…be together.” He pressed a soft kiss into Sorey’s shoulder. “Seraphim and humans, me and you…Sorey…”

Ducking his head, Sorey held Mikleo tighter. “I won’t make you wait long,” he promised in a ragged tone. “Mikleo, I…”

Mikleo smirked, the effort almost too much for him. “Looks like I…beat you…to the good stuff…this time, Sorey…”

“This is hardly a fair race,” Sorey said weakly through his tears, dropping a light kiss on the circlet adorning Mikleo’s brow. “…I always planned on going home to you,” he added in a rush, sounding like he’d been biting back the words forever.

Sighing, Mikleo said, “Then hurry up…and finish…saving the world…slowpoke…so you can…come home…to me…” He turned his face into Sorey’s chest, took one last breath, and went still before bursting into a sea of blue sparkles.

Screaming his torment and anguish to the heavens, Sorey fell face-first into the dirt and sobbed, shoulders heaving as Mikleo’s name got caught in his throat. His team gathered closer around him as a shield, staying silent out of respect for his pain.

“You could have saved him,” Heldalf pointed out during a break in Sorey’s cries. “If you’d only agreed to join me, then…”

Sorey finally lifted his head, his green eyes looking as dead as Mikleo. He wiped at his tear-tracks, smudging dirt over his face. “Mikleo made our choice,” Sorey said softly. “I would never take that from him.” Looking over his shoulder at Heldalf, Sorey staggered to his feet and threatened the Lord of Calamity with his ceremonial sword. “I’m not afraid of this battle,” he declared, his voice steely beneath the despair. “Let’s do this, Heldalf. I have nothing to lose. No matter what, Mikleo is waiting for me on the other side.”

“Sheps, you don’t mean…” Zaveid said, trailing off.

Sorey offered a sad smile. “Weren’t you the one who said it, Zaveid? ‘Death is a form of salvation.’”

“You’re an idiot!” Edna snapped, wiping furiously at her own tears.

Sorey turned to her with an understanding look. “Guilty as charged,” he agreed. He looked at Rose. “Back-up plan good for you?”

Rose waved him off. “Alisha and I will sleep for centuries as a joint vessel, and we’ll probably wake up as Seraphim and be together always. I know a good trade deal when I see one.” Alisha nodded in the background, still crying for a seraph she’d never known.

Sorey nodded and relaxed. “Thanks, Rose. Alisha.”

Lailah stepped forward. “Sorey!” she called. There was too much going on to really process the day’s revelations, but she had to ask just one thing. “Is he…is Mikleo worth it?”

Beaming, Sorey nodded and a spark of life flashed in his eyes. “I don’t even need to travel the world to find that answer,” he said firmly. “I know it from the depths of my soul.” Twirling his sword, he jabbed it at Heldalf and yelled, “Now you’ll pay for _torturing_ Mikleo, and then I’ll drag you through Death’s Door myself!”

The Lord of Calamity smiled in anticipation.

And Mikleo’s wait was almost over.


	5. The Illusion of Choice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I neither own nor make any profit from this Tales of Zestiria fanfiction. My only proceeds come in the form of kudos, comments, and Tumblr notifications and messages. (@NeoDiji)
> 
> Remember, this oneshot has absolutely nothing to do with any of the others. Consider this set after the premise chapter. This is just another way Team Shepherd could discover Mikleo exists. Completely it's own canon-divergent AU.
> 
> Warnings for all triggers associated with the game sidequest concerning the child bandit murders.
> 
> I don't know what else to warn for or tag without spoiling things, so...

Sorey’s heart beat faster as he burst into the forest clearing, green eyes scanning the area for the child bandit he was pursuing. He heard his team crash through the trees and undergrowth behind him, muttering curses under their breath. Even as they rushed closer, the sound of their voices faded to the background, and Sorey felt a dizzy thrill of tunnel-vision as his gaze landed on a much better find than his original target. Gasping, he lurched forward, hand outstretched and trembling with need. “Mik—”

Mikleo stood from his crouched position just as Lailah and the others arrived. Gesturing downwards with his staff, he simply said, “You’re too late.”

With a tremendous surge of willpower, Sorey forced his eyes away from Mikleo’s and noticed what he hadn’t before—the unmoving body of the child bandit, sprawled across the forest floor. Something other than the obvious seemed wrong with this picture, but Sorey couldn’t put his finger on it. Mikleo was here! And, unfortunately, the child was…

Lailah choked and covered her hands with her mouth, tears springing to her eyes. Edna clutched her umbrella tighter. Even Zaveid only froze, sparing everyone from his normal crude commentary out of respect. Alisha started crying into Rose’s shoulder, and Rose looked ready to bury her daggers into Mikleo.

Taking a step forward, Rose demanded of the water seraph, “What the hell did you do?!”

Sorey put his arm out, trying to shield Mikleo from the implicit accusation. “H—hey,” he said weakly, still trying to find the strength he’d just lost. “Rose, don’t—”

Mikleo took a calm step closer to the group and twirled his staff, oozing confidence. “I didn’t do anything,” he said simply, cutting Sorey off. “I stumbled across this human child, and I was trying to figure out what happened when you all showed up.” He blinked, looked at Sorey, and relaxed at the delayed recognition; his shoulders loosened, and a spark of light gleamed in his violet eyes. He looked so happy, despite the child’s corpse lying mere inches from his feet.

Rose recoiled at Mikleo’s seemingly twisted emotional reaction. “Disgusting!” she spat. “You’re smiling like you were just given the world, when that poor boy just now lost his.”

Taking a step back, Mikleo focused his gaze on Sorey. “I did just find my lost world.”

Sorey’s breath hitched, his heart thumping to a different rhythm. “M—Mikleo—” In a daze, hardly aware of his friends’ eyes boring into his back, Sorey approached Mikleo and pounced. They landed on a heap on the hard forest floor, and their reunion was spoiled by the child’s body lying beside them. Somehow, even then, Sorey felt like everything wrong in the universe had just been righted. He was with Mikleo again. _Mikleo_.

“I’ve missed you, too, Sorey!” Mikleo huffed with a small laugh, rolling them over but not letting go.

Edna sidled closer to Lailah, muttering loudly, “Who’s this weirdo?”

Lailah tilted her head, scrutinizing the pair on the ground. “I’d wager he’s someone special to Sorey.”

Zaveid snorted. “ _Special_. I’ll say!”

Sorey blushed and blurted, “It’s not like that!” He snuck a quick glance up at Mikleo’s eyes and asked slowly, hopefully, “…Is it?”

In answer, Mikleo leaned down and pressed his lips lightly to Sorey’s, pinning his head to the forest floor. Sorey’s immediate squeak turned into a low moan as he went limp with pure happiness, wrapping his arms around Mikleo’s waist and tilting his face further into Mikleo’s touch. He forgot everything but the feeling of his mutual crush’s warmth against him, filling him with the sense of “home” he’d been missing ever since leaving Elysia. Since leaving Mikleo. For the first time in months, Sorey felt complete. When Mikleo started to pull away, Sorey frantically cupped his cheeks and dragged him back down. Unwilling to let go, to let things break between them again.

It was only when Zaveid let out a loud and suggestive catcall that Sorey remembered himself and loosened his hold. Mikleo raised his head, looking embarrassed yet pleased with himself. It made Sorey’s heart beat faster still, already racing from their sweet reunion kisses.

“I love you, Sorey,” Mikleo declared suddenly, leaning down to press a single soft kiss upon Sorey’s lips. Lailah and Alisha squealed somewhere in the background, but only Mikleo registered to Sorey. “I never got to tell you before you left me.”

Sorey’s heart dropped at the accusation woven in, spoiling the sentiment. “I’m so sorry,” he said raggedly, brushing his knuckles along Mikleo’s cheek. “I didn’t mean for things to be this way.” So many unexpected things had occurred...

Mikleo smiled, but it wasn’t the fond smile that Sorey was used to seeing. It was a little too cold and focused. “Fine. You can make it up to me,” Mikleo said airily, “by giving up your Shepherd duties.”

Gasping, Sorey stared. The ground beneath his back didn't feel as stable. Things weren’t making sense. “H—how?”

That almost-cruel smile widened on Mikleo’s face, transforming him into a stranger wearing Mikleo’s skin. Lightly running his fingers down Sorey’s chest, he said mockingly, “The Shepherd’s cloak, Sorey. You seem to forget that I’m the voice of reason between us. I notice these things.”

Rose gritted her teeth and stepped forward, twirling a dagger in her hand. “Look, buddy,” she hissed, “Sorey might be showing you gaga eyes, but I know Malevolence when I see it. There’s something wrong with you.”

Mikleo blinked very slowly. “You think so, Rose?”

At that, Sorey’s thoughts ground to a halt. Mikleo had never met Rose, had he? Casting his mind for answers, Sorey looked to the side—and came face-to-face with the child’s corpse. He stared, feeling nausea churn in his stomach. He knew this face. It had haunted his nightmares for weeks, ever since the first child bandit had been murdered. This boy could not have been whom Sorey had been chasing. The recognition was what had felt off earlier, eclipsed by the joy brought by Mikleo and his kisses. Licking his dry lips, Sorey determined, “Y—you’re not Mikleo.”

The water seraph looked down, his mouth twisted derisively. “Your choice remains whether I am or not,” he said dismissively.

Sorey froze, green eyes wide and confused. The weight atop him suddenly felt confining rather than comfortable. The forest air felt staler.

“So?” the water seraph prompted, starting to push the Shepherd’s cloak off of Sorey’s shoulders. “What do you say?”

Lailah summoned a fireball to hover in her hand, and her eyes narrowed with motherly rage at seeing her charge’s heart played with like this. “This does not concern you!” she yelled at the water seraph, forming a defensive wall with her fellow Seraphim.

Laughing, the water seraph said, “You’re right. This concerns him, and what _he_ truly wishes for.” He looked meaningfully down at Sorey, violet eyes dancing with uncharacteristic malice. “What’s wrong, Shepherd? Don’t you want your friends to see your heart’s true desire in action?” Leaning down, he murmured with a hint of warning, “You shouldn’t keep such important secrets from them.”

Sorey swallowed, wishing he could take back the recent past. Malevolence and regret tugged at him relentlessly. He’d kissed—someone. Anyone who wasn’t Mikleo was the wrong partner. And this was… “Who are you?” Sorey whispered, tone fearful and agonized. “And how do you know about Mikleo?”

The air flickered around the Shepherd and his party, revealing the Lamorak Cave. They’d never left.

Symonne stepped out of the shadows, waving a hand and making the Mikleo look-alike vanish. She lifted her chin, eyes cold. “It might have been an illusion,” she said, “but what you felt was true enough, Shepherd. You can’t deny how your heart yearns for this destiny instead.” She smiled wickedly. “This ‘Mikleo’ over your Shepherd duties.”

Lailah and the others immediately surrounded Sorey, providing protection while he stumbled to his feet, breathing heavily.

Watching them, Symonne laughed. “I’m not going to hurt him,” she said. “I’ve already achieved what I came here to do. My master will be pleased.”

Alisha took a brave step forward, holding Symonne at spear-point. “And what did you aim to do? Make Sorey question himself? Attract Malevolence?”

“My master is so smart,” Symonne said admiringly, seeming to ignore Alisha. “He knows how to hit where it hurts. We’ve done our research, Shepherd. We know your weakness. Now your troublesome teammates know it, too.” A smirk curved her lips. “Do you think they’ll continue to support a Shepherd who is so obviously devoted to his own personal needs?” She laughed again, the sound echoing around the cave. “You didn’t even wait a second before tackling him. He kissed you first, but you were the one who escalated things. You loved him instead of scoping the area for hellions or prioritizing your quest with the dead child bandits. You’re _unreliable_ , Shepherd.”

Sorey felt like a hole had been punched through his chest.

Alisha jabbed her spear at Symonne, frowning. “Sorey is not unreliable.”

“He’s _human_ ,” Rose clarified, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Alisha.

Symonne’s smirk grew in the darkness. “The Shepherd is weak. Mark my words: That water seraph Mikleo is a liability. Think about that.” With those words, she teleported away, leaving the team with an uneasy feeling and lots of confusion.

Edna frowned and asked directly, “Well, Sorey? Is she right? Is this Mikleo guy a problem?”

Sorey hung his head, both unable and unwilling to outright lie. “M—Mikleo means everything to me.”

Edna sighed, catching Zaveid’s knowing eye. “That’s a yes,” she said, voice deadpan. “What now?”

Gulping, Sorey raised his head and said quickly, “We have to go check on Mikleo. If—if Heldalf’s been watching him, I’m scared that…”

“That the real Mikleo has been hurt,” Lailah filled in gently. “But Sorey, if we go to your hometown now, the trail for the child bandit murders will grow cold. I thought this was something you felt you had to do, as Shepherd.”

Rose dragged Alisha forward, looking determined. “We’ll take care of this end until you all get back,” she offered. “I’ll get the Scattered Bones to keep helping, too.”

Sorey brightened. It was good to have such supportive friends. “Rose, Alisha, you’re…”

Grinning, Rose winked. “Yeah, yeah. We’re amazing. We know!”

Zaveid snorted. “Yeah, more like you two just want an excuse for some alone time, if you know what I mean.”

Alisha blushed as red as her girlfriend’s hair. “Th-that’s not…”

“That’s just a bonus!” chirped Rose. “Meanwhile, Sorey, go get your man!”

Sorey blushed worse than Alisha. “He’s not…I mean, it’s true that we weren’t… That is, I thought things were leaning towards romance for a while there, but…”

Clucking her tongue, Lailah leaned forward. “He probably still feels the same way,” she comforted. “Symonne would have based her illusion on what she observed of the real Mikleo. At least, until you figured out the truth. She was obviously just trying to manipulate you towards the end since you realized the scheme.” Lailah looked sad, yet proud. Sorey had already come so far, even if they had to backtrack to the roots of his heart to complete their journey.

Nodding, Sorey agreed. “I have to know,” he declared. He pounded a fist into his open palm, green eyes shining. “I have to see Mikleo. This is something I _must_ do…as Sorey.”

With a supportive nod, an eye-roll, and a wink—courtesy of Lailah, Edna, and Zaveid respectively—the group split up to pursue two missions. Sorey wiped his arm across his mouth and eagerly turned his feet towards home, dreaming of making the illusion’s good parts his new reality. He hadn’t realized just how much he’d suppressed his longing for Mikleo, and now the floodgates were open and Sorey couldn’t contain himself any longer. As twisted as Heldalf and Symonne acted, they had a valid point. Had made an effectively striking move. Playing Sorey’s feelings for Mikleo against his obligation to the world… Suggesting he choose his destiny…

Sorey sighed and kept his answer close to his heart.

And across Glenwood, Mikleo slept and dreamed of his best friend whom he hadn’t seen for months.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...thoughts? I mean, the title pretty much gave away the twist, but did you see it coming? :o


	6. Earth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I neither own nor make any profit from this Tales of Zestiria fanfiction. My only proceeds come in the form of kudos, comments, and Tumblr notifications and messages. (@NeoDiji)
> 
> Remember, this oneshot has absolutely nothing to do with any of the others. Consider this set after the premise chapter. This is just another way Team Shepherd could discover Mikleo exists. Completely it's own canon-divergent AU.

Edna was sick and tired of Mikleo, and she’d never even met him.

The very first night she’d joined the team, Sorey had come to her by the campfire and brandished a love-tattered piece of paper. “This is Mikleo,” he’d announced, proudly displaying some crude drawing of what might have been a person, if people had eyes in the middle of their foreheads. Sorey hadn’t seemed to notice or care that his art was anatomically inaccurate. He’d only seemed interested in sharing, “He’s my boyfriend!”

“Great,” Edna had said in a bored tone, eyeing the drawing critically and wondering how delusional the new Shepherd actually was. Based on her luck…

Sorey had seemed satisfied enough, though, and given her a small but genial smile. “I just wanted you to know,” he’d said before turning on his heel and retiring to bed. Edna had watched him kiss the middle of the paper before pressing it carefully between the pages of the Celestial Record for safekeeping. Then he’d cuddled the book close to his chest and fallen asleep wrapped around it, as if he’d already let go of too much and couldn’t afford to lose that, too.

Lailah said it was normal, but she was her own brand of crazy so Edna couldn’t put much faith in her appraisal. Rose shrugged it off, and Alisha smiled in that flustered way people got when they really wanted to defend their friend’s sanity but honestly didn’t know how. Dezel didn’t have much to say on the subject. By the time Zaveid joined the group, Edna was tired of the whole thing.

Zaveid then made things worse by dropping a suggestive comment to Sorey about “hunting for babes,” and Sorey had lit up like the sun and dashed for his Mikleo-artwork, asking excitedly, “You mean like this?!”

Giving the piece of paper a confused look, Zaveid had said slowly, “…No. I mean _real_ babes.”

“Mikleo _is_ real!” Sorey had argued, leaning closer. Pouting.

Blinking, Zaveid had said, “Sheps, that’s a drawing on a piece of paper.”

Sorey had scowled, and it had taken Edna a moment to place the expression because Sorey so rarely wasn’t smiling. “I know what this is,” Sorey had said sadly, like he was trying hard not to think about it. “I just…”

Edna had gotten no closer to any answers, but at least Zaveid had since stopped heckling Sorey about picking up women. Sorey never seemed to understand, but Edna had had enough. Zaveid was a giant pervert, and she wondered how her brother could have been friends with him. Then she’d had more pressing matters to wonder about, because Sorey had started acting as if Mikleo was part of their group. He’d set out dinner plates for Mikleo, and he’d always need a personal bubble to his left side because “that’s Mikleo’s spot.” Sorey had begun to compliment Mikleo on making such good food and taking care of him so well; Sorey had even told Edna, in that forthright earnest way of his, that Mikleo’s dishes were better than hers. The nerve!

Then, somewhere down the line, Sorey had started talking _to_ Mikleo—as if he didn’t have six other people he could turn to if he wanted conversation. Even worse than the one-sided chats were the one-sided _debates_. Every time they crossed paths with an ancient ruin, Sorey inevitably wound up in a heated argument about—something—with thin air. Edna never could follow, but to be fair, she only ever got half the discussion.

“Mikleo would say this was built in the Age of Seraphim,” Sorey was explaining, gesturing widely at the mural on the wall. “But I disagree. I think it was made afterwards, but in the _style_ of the Age of Seraphim as a sort of tribute—”

Yawning, Edna interrupted his spiel. “Don’t care.”

Sorey’s smile stretched into a thin line. “Mikleo would care.”

“I’m not Mikleo,” Edna reminded him.

Sorey— deflated.

Edna wondered if anyone would point the finger at her for crushing the Shepherd’s spirit, opening him up to Malevolence, and dooming them all. But no. If anyone asked, she’d blame Mikleo.

Or Meebo, as she’d started referring to him secretly, for Mikleo-boy.

In the afternoon, she’d sighed and shared an exasperated look with Zaveid when Sorey panicked at his Mikleo-paper blowing away in the wind. “Be more careful with Mikleo if he’s so important to you,” she’d said, not unkindly, but perhaps her words of comfort had come out harsher than she’d intended because Sorey then dropped to his knees and started crying. Zaveid used his elemental artes to secure the lost Mikleo-art, and Edna wanted to bang her head against a rock.

Then, Edna officially had no words when she later happened upon Sorey stroking air and puckering his lips, his head tilted downwards. Celebrating their reunion? Edna simply stared, blinked, and opened her umbrella to hide the sight. She waved off Sorey’s squeaky excuse—“I’m practicing!”—and tried to find some silver lining in this whole journey.

Well, they _were_ saving the world. Edna supposed she could put up with Mikleo for that purpose—as long as it meant Eizen had a safe home to return to in the end.

At the campfire, she even suffered through Sorey describing Mikleo with cheesy poetry lines. She’d assume he’d plagiarized from romance novels, but not even romance novels were that bad. It was just classic Sorey. Edna almost felt sorry for Mikleo—before reminding herself that he probably didn’t exist. Maybe Mikleo was just Sorey’s way of coping with his new Shepherd responsibilities. Edna hid behind her snark and umbrella; maybe Sorey hid behind a perfect imaginary boyfriend. Because, and this was the biggest evidence Edna had that Mikleo was only fabricated, there was absolutely no _possible_ way that anybody so utterly flawless could exist. Sorey spoke of Mikleo with more reverence on his lips than when he spoke of Maotelus.

Which was why Edna was surprised one day after months of traveling. Sorey randomly let out an incoherent scream of pure happiness and rushed to latch onto some poor water seraph stranger, lounging at the edge of the Aroundight Forest. Their party had just been passing by, but now they had to stop and entertain Sorey’s latest distraction. He had that excited glow around him, but it was brighter than Edna had ever seen it. The power and energy spiraling through Sorey actually made her believe they had a winning chance against the Lord of Calamity.  “Who are you?” Edna asked bluntly, since Lailah and Alisha were too busy chuckling knowingly into their hands; Rose and the boys weren’t making themselves any more useful.

Sorey stared at Edna in shock. “Don’t you recognize him?”

Edna raised an eyebrow. “Never seen him before in my life. How could I recognize him?”

“It’s _Mikleo_!” blurted Sorey, fumbling for the Celestial Record and—yes, there was his well-loved artwork supposedly depicting the figure next to him. The one, oddly enough, standing in the Mikleo-designated spot to Sorey’s left.

Mikleo, the real one, snorted and cast Sorey a look somewhere between disbelief and fondness. “Is that the best you could do?” he asked, jabbing Sorey in the side.

“Like you could do any better!” Sorey teased back, leaning into Mikleo’s personal space. "Look, I even added your circlet!" he added, poking at what Edna had originally assumed to be a third eye on the paper. Then Sorey sweetly cupped the real Mikleo's cheek with one hand and brushed white bangs aside with the other, letting the pads of his fingers trace the decorated metal band before lightly caressing pale skin. Mikleo went slack at Sorey's adoring touch.

Edna tried to place Mikleo’s expression, and then she realized it was the same one she’d tried to tune out on Sorey’s face over the course of their journey. The two boys might have been different, human and Seraphim, physically opposite—but the same tender love shone through both their eyes when they looked at each other, unable to tear their gazes away. When they gently bumped their fists together, automatically following some habitual handshake as they continued to stare at each other with their hearts written plainly across their faces.

Part of Edna melted. So naturally, she informed them that they made her want to throw up.

At her reaction, Mikleo grew annoyed, red-faced and tense.

Edna could almost _see_ his frustration radiating off his body. He was so worked up over nothing and—okay, Edna conceded, _secretly_ , that the real Mikleo wasn’t that bad. Though he wasn’t as perfect as Sorey described, Mikleo was fun to tease. If he was going to be around for a while, then at least he was good for something. Edna couldn’t wait to discover what else made Mikleo steam.

That night, she cursed herself for even wondering when the answer had been there all along: Sorey, in all his lovesick eagerness, putting to use all his air-kissing talents.

Stomping, Edna erected a wall of earth around them—not that they'd notice for a while yet, the way they were so into each other—and marched back to the others.

She was sick and tired of their gooey mutual affection, and it hadn’t even been one day yet.

Maotelus help her.


	7. Sincere Strides

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I neither own nor make any profit from this Tales of Zestiria fanfiction. My only proceeds come in the form of kudos, comments, and Tumblr notifications and messages. (@NeoDiji)
> 
> Remember, this oneshot has absolutely nothing to do with any of the others. Consider this set after the premise chapter. This is just another way Team Shepherd could discover Mikleo exists. Completely it's own canon-divergent AU.

"Those bastards are just backwards!" Rose complained, easily flipping away from the Goblin Lord's long range attacks. She charged one of his minions with a hearty battle cry, keeping to the fringe of the fight so Sorey had room to target the boss. She spared the Shepherd half a glance as her daggers landed home, like always, and scowled.

Sorey stood useless and slack-jawed in the middle of the battle, sword hanging loosely in his hand. With his other, he idly wiped drool off the corner of his mouth. He only startled when Alisha jumped into the fray and intercepted a shot from the enemy, deflecting it with her spear while Sorey blinked rapidly and tried to comprehend the meaning of his spared life. Tightening his grip on his ornamental sword, he nodded a grim thanks to Alisha and shouted with wonder to Rose across the gorge, "They're not backwards! They're _visionaries_!"

Scowl deepening, Rose shot back, "I wasn't talking about the stupid goblins and their damn carts!" Trust Sorey to get distracted and forget his priorities when his dearest desire was around. Ignoring his hurt puppy eyes, Rose looked between Sorey and his current love interest. Alisha offered a hapless shrug between opponents, proving herself the most battle-focused member of their party. Seeing her girlfriend kick ass inspired Rose to keep doing the same, even if Sorey was too busy lusting after goblin carts to provide appropriate back-up. It was a pitiful role reversal, one unfitting for the great Shepherd but perfect for Rose to show off her skill. (Not that she needed to impress Alisha at this stage of the game, but flaunting reminders never hurt.) It took Rose a couple spins and high kicks before she added, "I meant the upper brass of Hyland! _They're_ the backwards bastards. So don't listen to them, Alisha!"

Stumbling after being hit, Alisha shook her head and stepped back to regain some stamina. "As a princess _and_ a knight," she said, leaning on her spear for support, "my reputation is important." Her eyes locked on Rose's, distantly noticing how Rose cut three goblins down without even looking; she was too focused on Alisha. It was humbling in a truer way than growing up as low royal status. Heart pounding, Alisha said, "I know they're wrong, but I need to be able to help Hyland." She took another deep breath, chest heaving, and ignored Sorey flailing close to the Goblin Lord so she could impress upon Rose, "I can't afford to alienate my people."

Rose jerked back as if struck, luckily missing an attack that would have hit her otherwise. "Alienate," she repeated, dumbstruck, her deadpan voice somehow audible despite the thunderous clash of battle. Whirling around, Rose sprinted and grabbed Sorey by the collar, dragging him back from the Goblin Lord, who laughed at their retreat and motioned his mutant minions forward to wreck calamity. Rose threw one dagger over her shoulder, yelled for Dezel to take over, and hauled Sorey across the the gorge. Stopping short in front of a recovered Alisha, Rose snapped, "Sorey! Maybe she'll listen to _you_. Tell Alisha she's being stupid!"

Sorey sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, gazing longingly at the goblin cart before answering. “But I, uh, don’t think Alisha is stupid.”

“Thank you, Sorey.”

“Dammit, Sorey!” Rose exclaimed, rethinking the idea of having one idiot call out another. “You’re useless.”

Cocking her head, Alisha said with the purity of the Seraphim, “I don’t think Sorey is useless.”

“Thank you, Alisha!” Sorey said, beaming and standing taller with pride. A soft breeze made his feather earrings and custom cloak flutter, and he truly seemed like the Shepherd of Legend who’d just stepped out of a fairytale. He was the one who would save the world.

Never mind the battle he'd abandoned—or rather, been kidnapped away from for some nonsensical reason.

Cursing, Dezel sliced through a power link and spat, "We could use the Shepherd's help!"

Alisha brightened. "So could we," she said, giving Rose a meaningful look. "Let's do this together."

Rose nodded, and as one they turned and ran back into the fray, moving as a seamless team as they cut down goblins in their wake. Sorey followed behind with a puzzled expression, hesitating when he again drew near the Goblin Lord in the thick of the fight. Lailah, Edna, and Zaveid sprung into action, too, joining as reserve units now that some of the enemy had been eliminated. Their fresh energy invigorated the whole team.

Even so, Sorey dawdled and circled the Goblin Lord half-heartedly. "The wheels, the cart, the gaudy ornamentation... I love it! I love it!" he muttered. "Ooh, I hope purification doesn't get rid of all the cool parts..."

"Focus, Sorey!" called Lailah, issuing the order in a gentler tone than Rose would have used.

Rose frowned, both because Sorey annoyed her about those damn goblin carts and because Lailah took away her fun. "We have more important problems!" Rose yelled, elbowing a goblin in the face and delighting in the spray of blood—proof of a direct hit, which she took pride in. Leaping free of a throng of weaker hellions banded together, Rose shouted, "Like, should Alisha and I come out? Publicly?"

Alisha rushed forward and stabbed through one goblin to reach another. "The Hyland Council is made up of homophobic committee members," she explained, as if she was simply reciting a test answer while training under her mentor in the relative safety of her manor's courtyard. "I don't want to ruin any chance of positive influence I could have."

Eyebrows drawing together, Rose pushed past Alisha and used her artes to take down another hellion. "I think," she said bluntly, "that it's the other way around. Alisha should use her influence to show everyone that same-sex couples are normal!"

Alisha laughed, twirling her spear with confidence. “You just want to shove our love in everyone’s faces.”

“You’re damn right I do!” Rose agreed vehemently. “So since your word carries weight, _Shepherd_ , what do you think?”

Edna sniffed and cut in before Sorey could answer. “Leave it to humans to make a big fuss over what to explore between someone’s legs. Who the hell cares whether you have a cave or a cliff ledge?”

While Lailah blushed and giggled, Dezel pretended not to hear, and Zaveid gave Edna two thumbs-up between successive attacks. As Rose sent a goblin careening towards Dezel, her lip twitched at the innuendo and calmed Alisha down from a fit of choked sputtering. Another goblin breathed its last tainted breath before succumbing to purification. Sorey innocently blinked, ducking closer to the Goblin Lord and getting in a couple good hits despite his reluctance to harm the cart.

Taking a moment to think while he concentrated his attacks, Sorey finally purified the Goblin Lord and ended the battle. Everyone gathered in a cluster for their victory huddle, spent but satisfied; everyone except Sorey, who sighed at the sacrifice of the cool goblin cart. A retrieved Iris Gem was a poor consolation prize.

"Hey, Goblin Shepherd!" Rose said, dragging a flushed Alisha closer. "Don't encourage us with a victory quote now. You're still not done yet."

Sorey leaned back and looked up, watching the drifting clouds as he carefully chose his words. Everything seemed so slow and calm after the rush of combat, and yet Rose's emphatic pressure felt deadlier than the Goblin Lord's spells. “Okay,” he said. “I don’t mind sharing my thoughts. But, uh...” Self-consciously scratching his cheek, he leaned in and reminded them, “I don’t think my opinion is worth more than anybody else’s. I just want to help my friends, that’s all.”

Lailah nodded, a fond look in her eyes.

“I understand both your points,” Sorey said, fidgeting uncomfortably at being in the middle. He again looked at where the goblin cart had last stood, and the sheen in his eyes glistened brighter. “If it was me, I know I couldn’t hide my feelings anyway so this wouldn’t be up for discussion.”

"Ain't that the truth," muttered Zaveid, nudging a rock with his toe.

Without looking, Edna rolled the rock away using her umbrella.

Sighing, Sorey advised, “I think you should be cautious." He knew what it felt like to lose something important. He'd been so close to that awesome goblin cart! And worse, to lose someone. Mik— But no. He couldn't bear to think of that, so he kept talking in an effort to stop remembering. "Alisha’s concerns are valid, and you don’t want to send the wrong message by riling people up.” Shifting slightly, he clarified, “Be together, but don’t broadcast it or go to great lengths to hide it. If you want to be treated as a normal couple, then act like one.”

Rose blinked before a slow smile spread across her face. “Sometimes you surprise me with your wisdom, Sorey.”

“Hey!”

Again, Lailah nodded proudly behind Sorey's shoulder. He'd found a good answer after all. It gave her hope.

Alisha giggled, holding a hand over her mouth. “That sounds like a good compromise,” she agreed. Sitting down on a boulder, she twiddled her thumbs. “And uh, before I lose my nerve, Sorey... I wanted to ask...while we're on the subject...” She looked at him quickly before glancing at Rose. It was better to tie up any loose ends before the next fight. “You support us because you’re our friend, but do you...personally...have any issues with our kind of relationship?”

Rose clenched her teeth, stopping herself before blurting that she'd not say another mean word to Sorey about his weird goblin cart obsession if he'd only, genuinely, support them. Sometimes, she'd learned on this journey, she'd have to pull her hits and wait for the fallout before deciding on a course of action. For now, she sat down next to her girlfriend. They'd face his answer together, like they did everything else.

Confused, Sorey opened and closed his mouth a couple times. “Your kind of relationship?” he echoed, sounding baffled. “Why would I have any problems with a type of relationship based on strong mutual love?”

Edna groaned and shot Sorey an unimpressed look. (It was the same look she'd given him throughout the duration of the battle as he'd danced around his passion.)

Laughter erupted from Rose’s mouth. “She means two people of the same gender being romantically involved, Sorey,” she corrected with amusement. “You know, the unconventional kind of relationship.”

Sorey shrugged and plopped gracelessly onto the ground. “I think it’d be pretty hypocritical of me if I took offense at that,” he confessed slowly.

“Come again?” Rose asked blankly. "Do goblin carts have assigned genders now?"

With a relaxed smile, Sorey smoothly shook his head. "I think goblin carts are the coolest, but that's not what I'm talking about."

Alisha stared at Sorey with wide eyes, putting together the implications. Lailah leaned forward, and Edna bit her tongue before any more sarcastic comments spilled out. Zaveid looked at Sorey with open curiosity, and Dezel cocked his head towards Sorey. The breeze died down, as if even the world itself was holding its breath to hear the Shepherd’s secrets.

Clearing his throat, Sorey said, “Uh, that is...” He lifted his head towards the sun, green eyes softening until they showcased the very depths of his soul. Leaning back on his hands, Sorey let his eyelids slip halfway closed as he sighed dreamily. He looked impossibly more love-struck than when he'd admired the goblin carts, and somehow the world wasn't ending. When he spoke, his words were a breathy whisper packed with awe and adoration in every syllable: “His name is Mikleo.”

“WHAT!”

A storm of birds shot off into the sky, squawking loudly. Zaveid fell over. Another group of random hellions nearby stumbled off a cliff.

Alisha switched her wide-eyed gaze to Rose, whose jaw was still hanging open from her impulsive scream. Lailah smiled and automatically put a hand over Zaveid's mouth before he could say anything inappropriate. Edna quirked an eyebrow, but Dezel only crossed his arms across his chest and remained impassive.

Sorey sank back all the way and lay horizontal on the sparse cliff-side grass, pillowing his head on his arms. From his expression, he didn't even notice the uncomfortable ground under his back. "Mikleo," he repeated wistfully, the name ringing true in his heart. "He's the one. He's...special." Again, Sorey sighed absently and his eyes turned even mistier. "I would do anything to show him off to the world," he murmured, pressing his fingers to where his heart never stopped beating for Mikleo.

"Why don't you?" Rose asked quietly, sympathizing with the pain in her friend's voice.

Forcing a sad smile, Sorey said, "Mikleo is a seraph. So most humans can't even see him." He sighed deeply through his nose. "It's a shame, really. He's the most beautiful person to ever exist..."

Rose bit her lip, understanding that Sorey was just seeing Mikleo like she saw Alisha. "I'm sorry," she said, shifting closer to her girlfriend.

"It's not just his looks," Sorey continued, unable to stop now that the floodgates had opened. "He's smart and kind and strong and determined and amazing and—"

Edna coughed lightly into her fist. "We get it," she said simply. "He's perfect."

Sorey's smile turned even goofier. "Yeah," he agreed blithely. "And he makes the best vanilla soft-serve."

"He sounds wonderful," Lailah chimed in with a warm giggle.

Dazedly, Sorey nodded. "By Maotelus, guys, I'm _so_ in love with him..."

Alisha caught Rose's hand and squeezed. "We can tell," she said with a hint of friendly amusement in her tone. "I'm happy for you, Sorey."

This time, Sorey's sigh radiated regret. "He doesn't know." Before anyone could say anything, Sorey added, "But I..." He swallowed, licking his suddenly dry lips. "I always got the feeling that we would end up together. I think he loves me, too." Rolling over, he plucked a piece of brown grass. Let it drop. Hung his head. "Or loved me."

"You think he stopped?" Lailah asked carefully, sitting and putting a hand on her charge's shoulder.

After a moment, Sorey shook his head. "I don't think that's possible," he said, as if tasting the truth of their permanence for the first time. "But I left him. I know I hurt him."

Rose frowned slightly. "Why'd you leave him?"

Sorey groaned and pressed his forehead to the ground, like he was seeking penance. "I just wanted to warn Alisha that a hellion was following her. I never expected that my trip to Ladylake would end up with me becoming the new Shepherd." He lifted his head, green eyes flashing with determination. "But as the Shepherd, I can better help make a world where humans and Seraphim coexist. Then I can always be with Mikleo." He didn't exactly know how yet, but he had a feeling that being a Shepherd was related to the dream he was chasing. To being with Mikleo, at the heart of it all. Sorey would look for that answer harder than any other.

"Let's go see him," suggested Alisha, giving everyone a meaningful look when Sorey had his eyes closed against tears. "And then you can confess your feelings, and be with him as much as you can." She laced her fingers through Rose's, adding, "And I'll be with Rose as much as I can, no matter what. And that means going public all the way. No hesitation."

Rose gasped at her girlfriend's renewed conviction.

Staring into Rose's eyes, Alisha said gently, "It's stupid to hide something so beautiful, when we have the chance to share it." Her smile held the future. "Life is too short for that. We have the opportunity, so let's do this."

"Together," Rose agreed, sealing it with a kiss.

And centuries later when the renowned Shepherd Sorey awoke from his sleep to purify the world, his spotlight same-sex relationship with Grand Seraph Mikleo was easier received. Sorey and Mikleo continued what Rose and Alisha had started, sinking their footprints deeper and walking the path of brazen love.


	8. Correcting That Major Mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lailah is shipper on deck for SorAli. Both Sorey and Alisha shut her down, pronto.
> 
> (Or, the one where Sorey goes back to Mikleo right away like he should've done in this scenario.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I neither own nor make any profit from this Tales of Zestiria fanfiction. 
> 
> A/N: I have been so completely out of the loop. I missed SorMik week. I'm behind on everything. By now, there's probably no point in trying to catch up. I haven't been active in fandom lately, haven't kept up with things at all, but I did want to drop this oneshot here for anyone who might enjoy reading it for whatever reason. I'm sorry in advance for its poor quality. Hopefully there's something enjoyable in it somewhere. I don't know. Whatever.
> 
> Like I said, I'm just posting this here FOR any interested reader. [No comments or feedback or anything like that please.](http://neodiji.tumblr.com/fanfic) This is it. Just read and enjoy (or dislike, whatever). If for some reason you **do** have a burning desire to comment, please spend your time building up some other writer. Best plan.

“Well, doesn’t this feel nostalgic?” Alisha giggled, peering at the stone walls of the Vivia Subterranean Aqueduct with a sparkle in her eye.

Lailah tilted her head in confusion.

Alisha traced the curve of the architecture with her eyes before explaining, “Sorey and I first met in some ancient ruins.”

Lailah’s laugh echoed off the walls as she gave them both a teasing smirk. “Oh, I see!”

It was Alisha’s turn to cock her head in confusion.

“So romantic,” Lailah sighed, holding her hands to her cheeks. “Considering the significance of the setting, I’ll let you two have some privacy.”

Alisha blushed, noticeable even in the dim light. “It’s not like _that_!” she squeaked. Whirling on Sorey, who’d been staring dumbstruck at a crack in the wall this entire time, she prodded, “Tell Lailah we’re friends!”

Shaking himself out of it, Sorey’s face wrinkled into the most confused expression out of the three of them. “We _are_ friends,” he agreed. “That’s why I immediately made you my squire.”

“But aren’t you _more_ than just friends?” pressed Lailah, leaning forward and raising an eyebrow.

Alisha frantically shook her head.

Sorey blinked slowly. “I suppose.”

Alisha gaped at him. Lailah looked as proud as if she’d shared the funniest pun.

Somehow gaining the ability to look even more confused than before, Sorey wondered, “What is it? You _are_ more than just a friend to me, Alisha. You’re the first human I ever met. My whole _life_ changed because of you.”

Lailah cooed in the background.

Mouth opening and closing, Alisha finally stammered, “S-sorey, are you, are you saying…”

“I’m saying you’re an important person to me,” Sorey said, his voice as firm as the surrounding ancient ruins that had so far stood the test of time. The rush of water sounded loud in the following silence.

Broken when Lailah started chanting in a whisper, “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!”

Sorey looked flabbergasted. “What?!”

Alisha squeaked again and took a step back. “Um, Sorey, I…” She visibly gulped, steeling herself like a proper knight acting with honor. “You’re a wonderful friend and I like you a lot, but not in the same way. I’m so sorry.”

Lailah’s enthusiasm burned out.

“Uh,” Sorey mumbled, rubbing the back of his head, “okay then.” He went back to staring mesmerized at the crack in the wall.

“You’re the Shepherd now,” Alisha offered weakly. “I’m sure you’ll have no trouble finding a suitable lover.”

Sorey fell forward, eyes wide and arms flailing. Bonking his head on the wall, he fell to the floor and twitched. “L-lover?!” Holding a hand to his head, he asked in a higher-pitched voice, “Isn’t that, like, someone you kiss when you’re naked or something like that?!”

Lailah and Alisha _stared_ at him.

“Yeah, yeah, Gramps mentioned it once or twice,” Sorey rambled in a rush. “He never said much though, and what he _did_ say didn’t make much sense. He said I’d find out when I was older.” Finally scrambling to his feet, he continued, “About the only part I understood was that a lover was someone very important who you shared all of yourself with. Someone you loved and wanted to be with. Which makes sense, you know, because it’s called a ‘love’-er—”

Alisha hid her face in her hands. “Please stop talking.”

“Keep going, Sorey!” Lailah encouraged.

Alisha shot her a death glare from between her fingers, proving how comfortable she'd become around the fire seraph.

Brushing dirt off his once-white Shepherd’s cloak, Sorey babbled, “And, uh, he said something about making sure I was prepared and something else about bare bodies touching and—oh hey, I’ve always wondered, what’s an erection?”

Again, Lailah and Alisha _stared_ at him.

“Gramps used that word a lot!” Sorey said defensively, holding up his palms. “He said…he said the erection slid up the back tunnel…and you know, I like exploring secret tunnels so that part sounded cool to me…”

Lailah stepped forward and pressed her open fan against Sorey’s mouth, effectively silencing his frantic word vomit. “Your Gramps didn’t teach you right,” she said gently. “The erection normally goes up the _front_ tunnel.”

“LAILAH!” Alisha yelled, her voice thin and stretched.

“This really is a journey of learning for the young Shepherd!” Lailah said, her lips quirking in a smile.

Sorey coughed and started forward again, leading the party deeper into the ruins. “I guess any tunnels will do the trick. B-but anyway, Alisha, what made you bring up lovers?”

Following with a grimace, Alisha said, “I was…saying that I like you as a friend, but not as a lover.”

“Wait, you were referencing _us_ two kissing naked?” Sorey asked, looking horrified and pointing between them.

Alisha suddenly found the ceiling to be the most interesting thing ever. “I don’t want to kiss you naked,” she said, obviously struggling to get the words out, “or clothed for that matter.”

Sorey sighed and slumped in relief. “Thank goodness!”

Lailah looked confused. “You’re grateful? But I thought you _wanted_ Alisha to be your lover. How come you aren’t disappointed?”

“I never wanted that!” Sorey insisted, shaking his head furiously. “There’s only _one_ person I’ve ever dreamed about—I mean—wanted to—that is—uh…” Taking a deep breath, Sorey closed his eyes. Opened them. “I only wondered about the _what_. _Who_ has never been in question.”

Stepping closer, Lailah made sure, “And it’s not Alisha.”

Sorey jerked his head in confirmation. “It’s Mikleo.”

The strange name hung in the air, heavy with importance and mystery.

“Who’s Mikleo?”Alisha finally asked, hardly daring to talk.

Sorey smiled before his face fell. “He’s _always_ been my best friend,” he said, “and we were never official, but, we _knew_ what direction our love was headed. _Everyone_ knew.” Another shaky breath rattled his bones. “I _love_ him with all my heart, and I…I left him…”

Pulling him into a motherly hug, Lailah asked softly, “Why?”

Sniffling into her shoulder, Sorey hiccupped, “I didn’t want to drag him into any more danger.” Shuffling on his feet, he added, “That hellion that was hunting Alisha—when he was fighting us, that hellion, he had Mikleo by the throat and—and _never_ again—”

“You were trying to protect him,” Alisha said, nodding sagely. Then, her face hardening, she asked, “Wait, you and—Mikleo— _fought_ the hellion that was after me? I thought you just watched it follow me down the mountain!”

Sorey shook his head. “It was a threat to Elysia. Of course we fought it.”

Lailah hugged him closer, looking anxious. “Without the powers of purification…”

Shrugging, Sorey offered, “We had to try. Neither of us would stand back and let that monster harm our village, or—more importantly, each other.”

“That is so sweet,” Lailah said with a small sigh, Alisha nodding beside her. After another beat of silence, Lailah suggested, “How would you feel if your Mikleo had the powers of purification, so his self-defense would work against hellions?”

Weakly escaping Lailah’s hug, Sorey rubbed an arm across the wetness of his eyes. “I’d feel better knowing he had the tools he needed, just in case anything like that ever happened again. Why? Can you give him the power to purify?”

Gesturing to Alisha, Lailah reminded him, “Of course. As long as you make a squire pact. He _does_ believe in seraphim, right?”

Sorey snorted. “Mikleo _is_ a seraph.”

Lailah’s eyes widened in surprise. “I just assumed—oh! Right, because earlier you said Alisha was the first human you ever met…”

“A week ago,” Alisha put in helpfully.

“…and Mikleo has been your soulmate for as long as you can remember,” Lailah finished.

Sorey nodded.

“Then I can’t make him your squire. But, Sorey, there is something even better I can do…”

-+-

Shielding her eyes, Alisha whispered, “They’re going to have to stop kissing if they want to make that sub-lord pact.”

Lailah giggled and waved off the concern. “They’ve been pining for each other for almost two weeks. Let them celebrate their reunion a little longer.”

Sighing with resignation, Alisha studied a lightning symbol inscribed on an ancient statue. Last time she’d been there, her circumstances had been too dire to let her enjoy the ruins. This would be the perfect opportunity, if only the sounds of smacking lips didn't interrupt her concentration. She turned abruptly when Lailah laughed sharply out of nowhere.

“I’ll have to retract my advice,” Lailah said, her eyes sparking with humor. “That Gramps was right after all. Sorey _should_ go in through the back tunnel.”

Stumbling, Alisha fell against the wall and hissed, “What?!”

“Oh look, their tongues are back in their own mouths,” Lailah quickly noticed, fanning her face. “Aww, notice the way they’re staring into each other’s eyes? _That’s_ what true love looks like.”

Alisha smiled, glancing quickly to give them privacy during such a tender moment. They were murmuring softly to each other now, and the words 'Shepherd,' 'pact,' and 'yes' rang clear. Then there was more murmuring, punctuated by kisses and Mikleo gripping Sorey's new Shepherd's cloak with a look of wonder. The sight of them made Alisha's heart melt, and she wished such joyous rapture would befall the people of the world. “They do seem very sweet together.”

“Seeing them, I can’t believe I ever thought you and Sorey would be a good match,” Lailah mused, holding her chin with her free hand. 

Laughing nervously, Alisha pushed herself to a standing position. “At least you understand that now.”

Lailah nodded, her face sentimental as she snuck peeks at the new couple. “And we can start the Shepherd’s journey with a clear perspective.”

“And with the right people,” Alisha said, turning back to the statue. “I’m glad Sorey’s lover is joining the cause so early in our journey. Coming to Elysia first was the right choice.”

Before Lailah could answer, Sorey dragged Mikleo over by the hand, his heart shining through his eyes.

“This is Mikleo!” Sorey announced, pulling his beloved water seraph closer. “Mikleo, this is Lailah. And—”

“—Alisha,” Mikleo cut in, looking a strange mixture of relieved and wary.

Head snapping up, Alisha asked, “O-oh, you already…”

Mikleo shrugged, trying too hard to look like he didn’t care. “You might not have seen me,” he said, “but I was usually by Sorey’s side during your last visit.” Watching Alisha’s mouth round into an ‘o’ shape, he hesitated before blurting, “And I’m glad you’re safe from that hellion. I hope…I hope you found the help you were seeking. Sorey wasn’t the only one worried.”

“Thank you, Mikleo,” Alisha said, giving him a watery smile. “That’s very kind and thoughtful of you.”

“I was—uh—talking about Gramps!” Mikleo said quickly, pressing himself tighter against Sorey.

Beaming, Sorey dropped a kiss against Mikleo’s temple and cooed, “Of course you were.”

“Don’t patronize me!”

Lailah clapped her hands with glee. “This,” she said above Sorey’s unconvincing protests and the beginnings of an epic tickle war, “is the start of a _wonderful_ journey.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A. B. C ya later~


	9. Earthen Historia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The lost Earthen Historia sheds light on a lot of secrets -- including the Shepherd's hidden romance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I neither own nor make any profit from this Tales of Zestiria fanfiction.
> 
> A/N: Beware spoilers for Those Scenes. You know, the flashback memories with all the big reveals. Also beware disturbing canon violence descriptions (i.e. Mikleo's backstory).
> 
> I still haven't been very active in the SorMik fandom lately, therefore I don't think I deserve feedback. I have not been giving, so I should not receive. That being said, I was ~~talked to~~ informed last update that it was unfair of me to try to control readers' commenting abilities (sorry, I was trying to save you time and energy). So, I guess I won't outright ask, but explain in general why I don't think anyone should comment for me (and hope you agree) and then ultimately leave it up to each reader to make that personal decision. I still wanted to drop this oneshot here for readers' potential enjoyment.

The group gawked at the massive stone structure, already resonating with the Earthen Historia. The Seraphim seemed suitably interested, Sorey and Alisha were starry-eyed, and even Rose looked mildly impressed. Mayvin said his spiel, but they were all more focused on the ancient stone and the secrets hiding within it.

“Oh man, NICE! Check it out!” Sorey gushed, leaning forward in excitement. “That huge thing has carvings all over it.” Pausing a short moment, he said in a bit more subdued voice, “ _He’d_ probably say this was from the Era of the Gods.”

Edna’s voice sounded from within his head. “Oh boy, more fodder for our resident nerd.”

Ignoring her, Sorey led his team into magically holographic documented history. This was the missing puzzle piece, the information that would explain the dawn of the Age of Chaos. This would help him find his final answer. Then he could save the world and go home to Mikleo. He was _so close_.

Inside the Earthen Historia, they saw the origin village, Camlann. There was a group of disgruntled villagers gathered around—was that Heldalf? But he looked different. Less of a lion-head.

“Pretty big crowd here,” Rose commented, her eyes zipping over the packed people.

Sorey nodded. “No kidding.” He took a step forward, intent on watching the scene. If this was recorded and hidden history, then something here was a clue. But with the weight of his mission on his shoulders, this wasn’t a fun find like his playful ruin competitions with Mikleo. This was as serious as the town square conversation unfolding in front of him.

“General, this is absurd! How long must we keep living like this?” demanded a man in the middle.

Lailah gasped, putting a hand over her mouth.

Sorey squinted, trying to place why the man looked so familiar when he was sure he’d never met him before.

Heldalf easily countered, “I am protecting you from the invasion by the forces of Hyland. I’d expect you to be more grateful, Shepherd.”

Sorey inhaled sharply. Did he feel a connection with the man because he was the previous Shepherd? He glanced at Lailah, but he bit his tongue when he saw the tears gathering in her eyes. Swallowing tightly, he refocused on a woman now challenging Heldalf.

“You have occupied our village for half a year now! This isn’t protection…It’s house arrest!”

There were always so many sides to history. To life in general. That was why, to Sorey, finding his answer as a Shepherd was so difficult. His mind was already turning things over as he watched the living memory, briefly noting the man and woman’s referenced sibling relationship.

The former Shepherd deflated but tried to sound objective. “It’s okay, Muse,” he said, turning around. His sister turned also, cocking her head to listen to her brother’s wisdom. “He’s right that Camlann happens to be a strategically crucial location, given that we’re here along the northern border.”

Alisha, Rose, and the Seraphim muttered lowly together, sharing observations.

Sorey breathed in quickly and silently, feeling lightheaded, as his gaze was drawn to the baby in the woman’s arms. It couldn't be. Yet, he knew it in his heart. Sorey would always recognize a piece of himself, especially a Mikleo-shaped piece. He took a stiff step forward, wanting to reach out and cradle the babe close. Protect it. Protect _him_.

“It’s so sad,” Alisha said, following his gaze. “Such innocents…”

The memory played out, and all Sorey could think of was Mikleo. No longer was his priority discovering the secret to Heldalf and the Age of Chaos. Now Sorey burned to know what happened to his best friend, his true love, as an infant. If he could only have _that_ answer…

“Muse…please be safe!” Michael the Shepherd cried, running off as the stakes went up.

Sorey was frantic as he followed, shouting to the others, “Hurry to the shrine!”

Rose folded her arms across her chest and murmured to the rest of the group, “Don’t you think Sorey is acting a little out of character?”

Alisha shook her head. “Sorey’s always been compassionate. He’s been worked up since noticing that poor baby, and he’s smart enough to know how things will go.”

“Yeah, but listen to him muttering to himself like a crazy person,” Rose shot back, gesturing with her hand. “He’s not making any sense.”

Sorey was rocking back and forth on his feet as he waited for the memory to hurry up, indeed mumbling to himself. “Muse and the Shepherd look too much like him…” He was shaking all over, worse than even Lailah or Alisha had ever seen. Wiping at his eyes, Sorey said, “And the fact that we know this doesn’t end well…” He threw his head back to the sky and screamed a torrent of despair. “ _MIKLEO!_ ”

Before anyone could react, fire suddenly licked everything and smoke blackened the air. The scene had shifted.

Muse screamed in pain on the floor of the shrine. “The child! The child!”

Sorey plunged straight through the fire without a second thought, even as the rest of the modern Shepherd team drew together despite how the flames couldn’t hurt them. Nearly hyperventilating, Sorey tried in vain to save the baby. He screamed in frustration as his fingers touched nothing but empty air, again and again, and he got nowhere despite his best efforts and noble intentions. For a brief second, Sorey wondered if his Shepherd’s mission would end up the same way. Then the baby cried louder, and Sorey stared into familiar pools of purple sunken in a charred, melting face. His legs gave out on him and he collapsed to his knees, retching to the side and praying to all of the Five Lords that his vomit might somehow become tangible and quench the inferno. Anything to smother the flames, although it was too late—

It was too late anyway.

This was history.

Michael appeared out of the smoke and scooped up the wailing babe. “He’s alive…he’s alive, but, my god… Maoetelus!”

Sorey’s heart leaped as he followed his predecessor’s gaze to the shrine altar, hope sending energy through his bloodstream. While Sorey might not have been able to reach Mikleo, this person Michael could, and he could use his connection with Maotelus to save Mikleo—

Although the ending was set in stone, Sorey still prayed fervently that things might change. He couldn’t bear to see Mikleo suffer—

Michael slumped, looking defeated. “…All is lost. Maetelus has become a hellion, and this…this innocent child…”

Sorey cringed. He’d been so focused on Mikleo’s traumatic transformation that he’d scarcely registered Maotelus’s.

Rage burning brighter than the fire, Michael carried Mikleo to the altar and growled, “All due to the insipid ambitions of one man…”

Despite the imagined heat from the fire, Sorey felt frozen as he watched, horrified, as Michael raised his blade in the air and—

“Brother? Wait!” Muse shrieked, trying to crawl forward. “…No, don’t, please! BROTHER!”

Sorey’s trembles grew into full-body shakes.

Alisha hid her face in Rose’s shoulder before stealing herself to watch, though she held tightly to Rose’s hand the entire time.

Michael lifted his face. “O ye who brought us this misfortune… I grant thee eternal solitude!”

Muse screamed, “Nooo!” and Sorey burst into action as Michael’s blade pierced the baby’s body and the infant’s crying faded into the crackle of flames and splintering of wood—

Ceremonial swords didn’t work on memories, Sorey discovered. They cut right through walking apparitions the same way Sorey’s fingers had slid through the baby.

“He’s never been so close to falling!” Lailah fretted in the background.

Edna frowned, pushing past a stunned Zaveid. “What will we do with a tainted Shepherd after we’ve come so far?”

Sorey’s howl of agony sounded inhumane, almost drowning out Michael’s final words:

“Heldalf. Live now and forever in a hell of your own making. This…is my answer.”

Lailah bent her head and shared her own. “I don’t know.”

-+-

Sorey was forced to come to grips with the tragedy as the memory flowed onward, showing the outskirts of the pillaged town of Camlann. He jerked forward, choking out, “Gramps!”

Lailah put a comforting hand on his shoulder, but Sorey barely noticed. His eyes were glued to Gramps examining a dying woman on the ground, and oh, there was another innocent baby destroyed by the explosion of the Age of Chaos—

Gramps sounded sadder than Sorey had ever heard him. “Born far too early, by the looks of it. Poor mother and child…” His hands were gentle as they held the hardly breathing premature babe, and Sorey had never been prouder of his Gramps. “Neither of you deserved this,” Gramps sighed before recognizing, “…Perhaps this, too, is fate.”

His seraph companion protested, “That child’s human!”

“Are we not all the same when we first breathe this air, save for the vessel we chance into?” Gramps countered.

Sorey’s chest squeezed tight with emotion. “Oh, Gramps!”

Alisha peered at the wizened seraph with piqued interest, having always wanted to see the noble leader who’d helped her unseen in Elysia. Sorey had always spoken of his Gramps so fondly before cutting those conversations short.

It wasn’t enough. “But, a child born so premature won’t last but a few months!”

Gramps sighed, acknowledging, “Probably so.” Yet he didn’t put the baby down.

They were interrupted by Muse running over, holding her beloved baby’s corpse to her breast and shouting, “Zenrus!”

Sorey startled. He’d subconsciously known there must be a connection, but he hadn’t had time to process the details.

“Muse!” Gramps exclaimed, proving that he’d indeed known Mikleo’s mother. “My goodness! What happened here?”

Shaking her head, Muse answered, “I’m afraid there’s no time to explain. We have to seal off the malevolence before it drifts into Elysia!” She paused then, glancing between the dead baby in her arms and the dying baby floating in the air. “…Who’s that child?”

Inside the memory, Gramps looked at the dead woman meaningfully. Outside it, Lailah glanced at Sorey with a similar expression.

Muse gasped. “Selene’s? Could it be, she…she was with child?”

Rose followed Lailah’s gaze and elbowed Alisha, jerking her head towards their companions. “Look. And didn’t Sorey call that old seraph ‘Gramps’?” she hissed into her girlfriend’s ear. “Doesn’t that mean…”

“This must be Sorey’s past,” Edna said matter-of-factly, speaking in a low voice.

Gramps moved right onto business, speaking of sacrifices and containing Maotelus within the land. Even as Muse offered herself up, her baby stirred in rebirth.

“But, it was dead…” Rose said weakly, leaning on Alisha for support. The supernatural still bothered her, although to a lesser extent after her journey.

Zaveid stepped up. “Remember, though? Some humans who die can be reborn.”

“As seraphs,” Alisha finished with wonder.

“Fate has blessed us with a thread of hope,” Gramps said, raising the newborn seraph to float alongside the never-quite-dead newborn human.

Muse inhaled with wonder. “You don’t mean to say…you will raise these children to become the Shepherd and his Sub Lord?”

“For a human and a seraph child raised together, anything is possible,” Gramps answered, looking at the levitating babes. “However…it all depends on these children. I humbly accept your two small beacons of hope.”

Sorey’s heart twisted further. “Gramps…”

“Sorey was raised with this seraph,” Rose breathed. “No wonder…”

Muse cried in earnest, “Zenrus! I have not the words to thank you.” She gathered her beloved seraph infant close and murmured with all the heartbreak of a grieving mother, “Farewell, my dearest child…”

Sorey said the name with her, sounding just as emotional: “…Mikleo.”

-+-

The memory faded, leaving the Shepherd and his team in front of the giant stone. Sorey didn’t think it was so cool right about now; in fact, he didn’t want to even look at it.

“So Sorey,” Rose said after a moment of tense silence, “you were a survivor from that village!”

And Zaveid added, “And that other boy was refashioned into a seraph.”

Sorey shuddered, recapping brokenly, “He was a sacrifice.”

Lailah hugged him and stroked his hair as he pressed his wet face into her shoulder. “You were close to that seraph boy,” she observed carefully.

Nodding, Sorey stepped back and closed his eyes. “Closer than anyone,” he whispered raggedly, holding both hands over his heart. “That was Mikleo. My best friend. No, more than that. My…”

“Brother?” suggested Zaveid innocently.

“Beloved!” Sorey corrected firmly, opening his eyes and standing taller with certainty. It was simultaneously easy and hard to finally talk about Mikleo. Sorey had been holding so much back, and now the floodgates had opened and Mikleo wasn’t here to help control the torrent. “I love him. He’s my perfect match, my soulmate, my destiny. He’s my starting point and my endgame, and I’m _his_. He’s a part of me. He’s _always_ been a part of me. I **_love_** him.”

Alisha moved forward, murmuring compassionately, “Oh, Sorey, that’s why this memory was so hard on you.”

Rose followed and chimed in, “But all’s well that ends well, right? He’s alive as a seraph! You two can still be together.”

“Rose,” Alisha admonished, nudging her with a bit of force. “Imagine how you’d feel watching me die as a baby, even if I was standing right next to you as another life-form.”

Holding up her hands in surrender, Rose muttered, “Okay, okay, you’re right. I get it. I’m just trying to look on the bright side here.”

“And we appreciate your optimism,” Lailah interjected, clapping her hands. “This has certainly been an enlightening experience all around. Now, Sorey, do you…”

Sorey jerked his chin up, determination burning in his eyes. “My answer…is I have to save Mikleo!”

Leaning on her umbrella, Edna said in a bored voice, “I think the danger to him has passed. By several years.”

Cocking his head, Sorey explained, “You heard Gramps. He raised me to be the Shepherd and meant for Mikleo to be my Sub-Lord.” Breathing in realizations and possibilities, he added, “I left Mikleo behind when I shouldn’t have, I see that now, and he’s been suffering this whole time being unable to fulfill his purpose.”

“Yeah, his purpose of being your boyfriend,” Edna whispered loudly, causing Zaveid to burst into deep laughter. Even Alisha chuckled at that one.

Sorey’s face suddenly gained some color. “Mikleo can have more than one purpose,” he said, sounding a bit squeaky.

“That’s agreement,” Edna concluded, lifting herself off her umbrella. “Fine then. Let’s go get Sorey’s infanthood sweetheart. And maybe we can talk about Heldalf on the way? Just a suggestion.”

Lailah nodded and motioned everyone forward. “We might need to wait for Sorey’s input,” she said slowly, glancing at the love-struck yet serious expression on his face. “I don’t think he’ll be able to focus on anything until he sees with his own eyes that his Mikleo is safe.”

Rose hummed and kept one eye on Alisha, presumably making sure of the same thing. “We learned a lot from this latest Earthen Historia,” she said. “We can process it without Sorey until he’s ready.”

“Yeah,” Zaveid said, “who’d have thought Sheps was hiding a childhood love?”

Edna opened her umbrella right under Zaveid’s nose. “We learned so much about the Age of Chaos and the Lord of Calamity,” she said flatly, “and your biggest takeaway is Sorey’s revealed romance.”

“Yep!” Zaveid said with a proud grin, the others nodding along sheepishly.

Because honestly, what secret meant more than that?


	10. Expense

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Shepherd has innocent fun at Sorey's expense, after he spares no expense for the secret love of his life without permission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I neither own nor make any profit from this Tales of Zestiria fanfiction. My only proceeds come in the form of kudos, comments, and Tumblr notifications and messages. (@NeoDiji)

“Are you crazy?!” Rose screamed, unsheathing and re-sheathing her daggers. Ignoring disapproving passers-by, she snarled, “You spent five hundred thousand gald on an accessory set that _no one can use_?!”

Sorey flinched back and looked to Lailah and Alisha for help, but they remained silent and unnaturally stern. The good people of Ladylake spared him piteous glances but gave the Shepherd and his company a wide berth, even though the rest of the street festival was jam packed. Sorey shivered despite the abundant sunshine, suddenly rethinking his brilliant idea to show off his incredible impulse-buy.

“That was a good chunk of our funds, Sorey,” Lailah chided lightly. “What possessed you to splurge like that?”

Rose brightened. “Possessed? That’s it! Sorey, there’s a hellion controlling you!”

If only such an excuse would work, but Sorey could not bring himself to lie. (Mikleo scoffed at him in his imagination—and yeah, Sorey’s fantasies were far preferable than his current reality…) “There’s no hellion!” Sorey protested, holding tight to his ill-advised purchases. “When I saw this accessory set, I couldn’t… _not_ buy it.” He turned the belt, bracelets, and choker around in his hands, finding them to be far more interesting than his companions’ disapproving faces. “They match his circlet perfectly,” Sorey murmured raggedly, daring to sneak a glance at their expressions.

Rose looked ready to add him to her hit list again, Alisha looked thoughtful, and Lailah looked confused but willing to listen.

“What do you mean, Sorey?” Lailah asked, showcasing how the centuries had tempered her patience. “Whose circlet?”

Sorey fiddled with the polished stones decorating the accessories. Wetting his lips, he finally whispered, “Mikleo’s.” Seeing Rose about to demand an elaboration, Sorey hurried on. “He’s my…what do humans call it? Intended? Husband-to-be? Selected marriage partner?” Rubbing the back of his head, he laughed a little high-pitched compared to normal and tacked on, “Personally, I’d just call him my other half or my One and Only…”

Lailah relaxed, her eyes sparking with interest. “You have a lover stashed away?”

Blushing, Sorey focused on the cobblestone street. What a great homage to questionably ancient architecture. Those chips in the stone obviously told a story and—

“Well?” Rose asked eagerly, leaning into his personal space. “Where is this ‘Mekrio’?”

“Mikleo,” Sorey corrected automatically, inwardly grateful that the topic had shifted away from reprimanding his financial management. “He’s still in my home village.”

The capital bustled around them as everyone processed that bombshell.

“Who’s still in your home village?” Zaveid asked, walking up with Edna and Dezel.

Jumping in quickly, Alisha informed them, “Sorey’s boyfriend.”

The capital still thrived as if the world _hadn’t_ just been flipped on its side.

“Sheps has a boyfriend?” Zaveid asked, quirking an eyebrow. “Nah, can’t see it.”

“I don’t _want_ to see it,” Edna said, hiding behind her umbrella.

Dezel folded his arms across his chest and deadpanned, “I literally cannot see it.”

After a brief, awkward moment of silence where everyone in the group (except Dezel) looked back and forth uncomfortably at each other, Alisha sputtered, “Uh, Sorey’s boyfriend wears a circlet! That’s all we know.”

Lailah clapped her hands enthusiastically. “Oh, let’s make this a game! Sorey, we’ll guess things about Mikleo and you tell us if we’re right or wrong.” She gestured for them to start moving out of the city, and she launched into a prediction as soon as everyone started trudging along. “Mikleo is attractive.”

Sorey wobbled a little on his feet. “He’s _gorgeous_ ,” he breathed, tripping over a cobblestone in his dazed state. He barely noticed when Zaveid caught him by the arm and hauled him up. “He’s got these—these _eyes_ that are just…and his smile…and, and just, everything…”

Edna sniffed and decided to play along once Sorey thankfully trailed off into silence. “Mikleo is quiet,” she suggested, then murmured a little too loudly, “ _Please_ let him be quiet.”

“He’s quiet,” Sorey confirmed with a staunch nod. “Except when he insists that I’m wrong in our ruin debates, or when he nags at me to eat, or when he reads me the Celestial Record at bedtime…”

Edna sighed. “I almost got excited. Then you ruined it.”

“But he’s generally a quiet person!” Sorey said quickly, giving the city guards on the bridge a wide smile and a hearty wave. “Um, next?”

The crunch of grass replaced footsteps on stone, and most of the party sighed in relief. “He must be pretty strong,” Rose threw out, fingering her daggers again now that they were away from the crowd. “I mean, he puts up with you.”

Squawking indignantly, Sorey protested, “Hey!” Throwing her a half-hearted glare, he slumped and agreed, “But yeah, he is pretty strong. He’s got the best heart. And battle-wise, he is _amazing_ with his staff.”

“I’m sure he is,” Rose snorted, earning a wink from Zaveid.

“He is!” Sorey insisted innocently, causing Rose and Zaveid to devolve into giggles. “What? What’s so funny? He’s really good at using his staff!”

Alisha almost stumbled.

“As much as we all love hearing about Mikleo’s…staff,” Lailah interrupted, pushing her way between Sorey and the others, “let’s keep going. I bet Mikleo’s really smart.”

“Totally!” Sorey agreed, lighting up at another chance to gush about his beloved. He played with the gem-studded belt, bracelets, and choker as he mindlessly followed his team, too focused on praising Mikleo to think about their direction. “He thinks things through and keeps me grounded.”

Eyeing the expensive accessories, Rose quipped, “What? You mean _you_ need to be monitored so you don’t immediately act on crazy whims? No way!”

“Ha. Ha,” Sorey said dryly, pocketing his gifts so they were out-of-sight.

A cool breeze blew away some of the heat. “It’s not all bad,” Lailah said sweetly. “You did rush to become the Shepherd, after all.”

“True,” Alisha mused, looking up at the sky. “My turn. So, Sorey, is Mikleo older?”

Such a casually innocent question, hiding torrents of pain. “Just by a bit,” Sorey said, sounding less enthused. “But he’s gonna outlive me by centuries anyway, so…”

Dezel stopped, enlightened. “Then he’s a _seraph_.”

“A beautiful water seraph,” Sorey granted with a forlorn sigh. “It’s worse for him. We don’t really talk about…”

“Don’t lose hope,” Lailah said, suddenly sounding mysterious and grave. “There might yet be a way.”

Sorey brightened. “Really?!”

Lailah chuckled, giving her charge a warm smile. “Yes, but I’d like to confirm some things before I share with you.”

Sorey nodded, still smiling like he was seeing the world for the first time. “Thank you, Lailah!”

Zaveid slung an arm around Sorey’s shoulder. “And sticking to the theme of intense bliss, I’d make a wager that this Mikky-boy is good in the sack.”

Sorey blinked. “Mikleo wears clothes,” he said slowly, “but he’d look fantastic even if he was wearing just a sack! He’s _that_ stunning!”

Groaning over the others’ light laughter, Zaveid said, “No, no, let me rephrase. I think Mik is good in bed.”

“Oh, he is!” Sorey confirmed, nodding enthusiastically. “Gramps made us live in different houses once I hit puberty, but we still spent a lot of nights together!”

Zaveid smirked. Rose choked. Alisha’s eyes widened dramatically. Lailah clapped. Edna and Dezel purposefully ignored them all.

“Mikleo is the _best_ snuggler!” Sorey continued, letting out numerous happy little sighs as he relived some obviously special memories. “I always get the best sleep when I curl up with Mikleo.”

“Curl up,” Zaveid echoed, his face wrinkling in a frown. “Don’t tell me…”

“He still doesn’t get it,” Edna said matter-of-factly.

Damn. “What don’t I get?!” Sorey demanded, looking imploringly at all his companions. Who just looked away from him in return.

“Nothing,” Zaveid said quickly. “Okay, Sheps, third time’s the charm. Is Mikleo good at sex?”

Sorey blinked and took a long moment to process that question. “He’s…a guy,” he said, untangling his thoughts, “and I think he’s a pretty good one. But how can you be ‘good’ at being male or female?” Tapping his chin, he suddenly straightened like he’d made an archaeological discovery. “Unless you meant gender, which is a more socially-construed identity, in which case I’ll say that Mikleo is his own normal and he’s perfect just the way he is. He defies labels.” Crickets chirped. Followed by Sorey’s chirp, “And he makes great food!”

Zaveid stopped walking. “I give up.”

Sniggering, Rose suggested, “Let’s try something a little simpler. Sorey, since you’re this gaga over him, I’m gonna guess that Mikleo is a good kisser.”

Sorey cocked his head and chewed on the inside of his cheek. “I’m…gonna guess that, too,” he answered in a low voice, giving a little shrug.

“You haven’t kissed?!” Lailah blurted, covering her hands with her mouth like the universe had personally offended her. “B-but, but where’s the passion of youth?!”

Sorey stared at her blankly. “Lailah,” he said, hesitating before steeling himself, “I’m going to take this opportunity to say that I don’t always understand what comes out of your mouth.” Before she could respond, he sincerely wondered, “Is that part of your Oath?”

“That’s just Lailah,” Edna answered, poking Sorey with the tip of her umbrella. “You’re better off not asking.”

Sorey sighed and looked to Alisha, who’d been at the front of the group the whole time. “Hey, uh, where are we headed?”

“Your village,” Alisha said simply, swapping a smile with Rose. “We need to see our predictions in person.”

Jumping up with a burst of excitement, Sorey glanced at his friends. “Really? You wanna meet Mikleo?”

“Of course I want to meet him,” Rose said, sounding scandalized. “He owes me five hundred thousand gald!”


	11. True Love's Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The quintessential fairytale version.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I neither own nor make any profit from this Tales of Zestiria fanfiction. My only proceeds come in the form of kudos, comments, and Tumblr notifications and messages. (@NeoDiji)

It was time to face the Lord of Calamity. Their dangerous quest was almost at an end. It was crunch time, and Sorey…

…was sleeping.

“I don’t suppose we should just give up?” Edna suggested dryly, being the only one practical and down-to-earth enough to recognize that as an option. Her idea hung in the air like a malevolent dragon, with no one wanting to acknowledge the cruel reality of detrimental and irreversible circumstances. It was silent for several heartbeats. Afternoon sunshine did nothing to chase away the chill as the cart forcefully hit a bump, causing Edna to jostle against some Sparrowfeathers crates and shoot an unimpressed look towards Rose.

For all her skill as a merchant and an assassin, Rose could be an unpredictable horse driver.

Or maybe that was just Edna’s skewed perception, because none of the others seemed bothered.

Cheeks puffing out like a chipmunk and twice as adorable, Lailah shook her head. “There’s always a way!” She eyed Sorey stretched out along an aisle between boxes of goods; he looked as still and stone as some of the ancient relics he used to go nuts over.

Edna rolled her eyes, tsking automatically, “Sorey has never shown the _slightest_ ounce of interest in anyone this _entire_ journey.” She grew silent as she remembered her brother and thought maybe Lailah had a point after all. But still, considering what they had to work with… Edna sighed through her nose. “He probably doesn’t even _have_ a ‘true love’ capable of waking him up.”

Zaveid shook his head and chimed in, surprising everyone with the amount of relevant knowledge he kept hidden under crude innuendo. “Nah, the hellion’s curse wouldn’t take effect if Sheps didn’t have a true love in the first place. Trust me, there’s _someone_ out there made for Sorey.”

“Okay,” Edna said flatly, glancing up at him atop the highest crate, “then what’s our next step? Advertise to all of Glenwood that the beloved Shepherd is basically comatose until he gets his fairytale kiss?”

Rose jerked excitedly in her seat and snapped the reins, nodding along with Edna’s idea. “Think of the profit we could make!” she gushed, already feeling bags of gald weigh down her pockets. “If we charge everyone who kisses Sorey, then—”

“I don’t think Sorey wants a ton of random strangers kissing him while he’s under a sleep spell,” Alisha interjected, cringing on her friend’s behalf.

Slumping, Rose gave in. “Yeah, yeah, all right.”

Zaveid smirked and muttered under his breath, “But it’s probably gonna happen. Lucky bastard.”

Looking thoughtfully at Alisha kneeling on Sorey’s other side, Lailah tapped her chin and advised, “Let’s not resort to such extremes yet.” Her charge deserved better, and Lailah would steadfastly look out for his best interests. “This is an ancient, powerful spell and even I haven’t seen it in all my centuries. We need to find out more before deciding what to do.”

Alisha adjusted the pillow they’d slid under Sorey’s head and wondered, “Is there anyone around who might know more?”

Lailah’s head whipped up in excitement after long moments of thought, her eyes shining. “Yes! There’s an old lightning seraph long renowned for his wisdom and power.”

“Let me guess,” Edna said, snorting. “He disappeared when the Five Lords did. That would be just our luck.”

“Nah,” Zaveid corrected, sounding proud to share what he’d learned from his years of traveling. “It’s been said that he lives in the unique seraphim village of Elysia to this day.”

Eyes widening, Alisha echoed, “Elysia?”

“Seraphim _village_?” Rose repeated right after, raising an eyebrow and reviewing everything she’d learned about seraphim culture.

Zaveid looked up at the open sky with a wry little smile. “The only one of its kind, and it’s only been around for a blink of an eye for us seraphs. Less than twenty years.”

Face hardening with determination, Alisha glanced at the sleeping Shepherd and announced, “We _have_ to go to Elysia. It’s our best shot.”

-+-

While it took days of travel, Rose finally steered her cart into the Aroundight Forest at Lailah’s direction. Sorey had never twitched, and though no one said anything, he looked eerily close to dead. It wasn’t a pretty picture, especially when thinking of their looming chance against the Lord of Calamity.

They had to abandon the cart itself less than halfway up the mountain, but they finished the trek on horseback. Rose and Alisha were quite content to share a horse, and they tied Sorey to the other horse using any rope they could find. Lailah, Zaveid, and Edna rode in Sorey as their vessel. By the time they all trotted into Elysia proper, a giant crowd of seraphim had gathered by the gates to greet them.

“I knew I sensed visitors passing into my domain,” croaked a wizened seraph in the middle, stepping forward. His gaze turned towards Sorey, still sleeping hogtied on the horse, and his bushy eyebrows lifted far into his forehead.

Lailah materialized and bowed, soon accompanied by Zaveid and Edna. Seeing them, Alisha shook herself out of a stupor, slid off her horse, and flung herself onto the ground muttering prayers of thanks. Rose followed more slowly, inclining her head but not daring to take her eyes off any potential threat.

Awkwardly coughing into a fist, Lailah raised her eyes and began dramatically, “Oh great Zenrus, we beseech you, with your vast knowledge and experience, please assist us in waking the new Shepherd. For the sake of both our worlds!”

Edna took a pace forward to stand by Lailah’s side, clarifying, “The moron went and got himself hit by—”

“—the Sleeping Curse, yes,” Zenrus interjected, nodding his head sagely. “I can see that.”

Pushing in front of Edna, Lailah took over again. “We wish to find a way to circumvent the curse. How can we wake Shepherd Sorey aside from the fairytale kiss method?”

Zenrus’s lips curled up with amusement, and more than half of the gathered seraphim started chuckling, murmuring, and elbowing each other. Waiting until the indistinct babbling died down, Zenrus answered clearly, “There is no known way to counteract the curse other than True Love’s Kiss.”

“And you think it’s funny to see Sorey stuck like this?!” Rose demanded, curling her hands into fists. Alisha hurried to hold Rose back before she went all Scattered Bones on the Elysian seraphim.

Pausing another heavy moment, Zenrus calmly addressed Lailah. “That being said, Prime Lord, I believe I can still help you.”

Lailah smiled shakily, hope blooming in her eyes. “What do you mean?”

With a cryptic, “Come with me,” Zenrus turned and started to shuffle towards a particular house. Zaveid took the reins of Sorey’s horse to lead it along, and the whole group followed in a confused huddle. Alisha inhaled as they reached the front door of their destination, looking like she wanted to say something but was desperately holding herself back. Zenrus looked over his shoulder at her directly, snorted knowingly, and turned to Zaveid. “Bring him in.”

Zaveid was quick to obey, for once without some smartass remark.

They entered the house in a shuffle of feet and whispers to find a young seraph boy wrapped around a pillow, soundly sleeping.

Sorey _twitched_ in Zaveid’s arms.

Lailah’s mouth dropped open at the abrupt movement, and Alisha inhaled sharply at the development. Rose grinned like Sorey was already awake. Edna looked bored on the outside, but she was curiously studying the two boys in the room. Zaveid almost dropped Sorey at the unexpected jerking motion. Luckily, he managed not to break the Shepherd.

Zenrus’s smile softened as he gently removed the pillow, and he gestured for Zaveid to lay Sorey next to the sleeping seraph.

Astonishingly enough, the second Sorey’s back hit the mattress, he _rolled over_ towards the seraph boy and grunted.

The seraph boy’s eyes flew open at the slight sound, and he sat up with a gasp and strangled sounds stuck in his throat.

Alisha and Rose stared. Edna bit the inside of her cheek and tilted her head. Lailah and Zaveid exchanged cautiously hopeful glances, having a better idea of what might be going on now.

“Ahem,” Zenrus said, moving closer to the bed. “As you can see, Sorey has been afflicted with the Sleeping Curse. I think you know what you need to do, Mikleo.”

Wide-eyed and blushing heavily, the seraph boy cupped Sorey’s cheeks with trembling hands and froze, staring down at Sorey’s now healthily-flushed face with a look of wonder and adoration. “S-Sorey,” he choked out, blinking back tears. With a deep breath, he finally shifted closer and leaned down to press a clumsy kiss against Sorey’s lips.

Sorey’s eyelids miraculously fluttered open as the seraph boy drew back. With a hazy expression, Sorey followed and latched on to the seraph boy’s lips again with a deep moan. “ _Mikleo_.”

Everyone else _gawked_.

Reading the message loud and clear, the seraph boy leaned down again, pressing Sorey’s head into the sheets with the force of his kiss. He slotted their lips together into a more comfortable angle, shivering as they came together again and again.

Sorey cradled him close and gripped his clothes and hair like he didn’t want the other boy to slip through his fingers like water. When they at last separated, Sorey grinned stupidly up at his apparent True Love. “Oh Mikleo, is this another dream? I’ve been waiting for this for _ages_ ,” he groaned in a low murmur, his voice packed to the brim with overflowing affection.

Mikleo quirked a brow, adopting a superior expression that still couldn’t hide the overwhelming love he radiated. “Excuse you,” he said with a tearful smile and strained chuckle, “ _who’s_ been waiting?”

Sorey’s face grew serious and apologetic. “You’re right. I’m so sorry. I—”

Rolling violet eyes in exasperation, Mikleo shut him up with a kiss. “If you’re going to say idiotic things,” he murmured against Sorey’s lips, “then go back to sleep, you useless lump.”

Whimpering, Sorey whined, “Mikleeeoooooo, you can’t just _talk_ to me after kissing me and expect my brain to work!”

“How is post-kiss status different from any other time?” Mikleo asked in an overly-innocent tone as he drew back to leave a small gap between their faces.

It took Sorey a significant moment to process that before: “ _Hey!_ ”

Rose stifled a snort, catching Alisha’s eye and winking. Zaveid nodded proudly. Lailah grasped Edna by the shoulders and vibrated with excitement until Edna shook her off with a pointed look. Zenrus breathed deeply, his shoulders loosening like an anticipated major milestone had been reached.

“I love you,” Mikleo suddenly blurted, sounding like he couldn’t hold the words back any longer.

Sorey immediately relaxed again and let out a sigh of pure bliss, his eyes clouding again with feeling. “Mikleo,” he murmured, staring straight up into shining pools of violet, “Mikleo, I love you so much. _So much_.”

“And we all see that,” Zenrus said, shattering their moment. (Lailah pouted.) “And while it thrills me to see you boys finally— _finally_ —confess your rather painstakingly obvious feelings, perhaps you can save your canoodling for when you’re alone?”

Both boys turned bright red.

“G-gramps,” Mikleo stuttered, “n-no one, no one uses the term ‘canoodling’ anymore—”

“—You can _canoodle_ again once Sorey has had something to eat and reassured his new friends that he’s okay,” Zenrus interrupted, raising his voice to make a point.

For the first time, Mikleo looked around the room and noticed the audience of strangers. Squeaking, he scrambled to his feet and almost fell over, trying to straighten the clothes that Sorey had tugged out-of-place. His mouth opened and closed fruitlessly as his eyes zipped over everyone assembled.

Alisha sighed happily, turning to Rose. “We’re so lucky to see a fairtytale in action! It’s like all the old storybooks, but with our dear friend as the star!”

Rose forced a shrug, though her eyes were equally bright. “I think our story is better.”

Sorey slid to his feet more languidly, leaning on Mikleo for support as he wobbled after so many days spent horizontal. Meeting his friends’ eyes quickly before glancing away in embarrassment, he muttered, “So everyone, you’ve, uh, met Mikleo. And Gramps! Can’t forget Gramps.”

Zenrus shifted in the background.

“I’m so happy!” Lailah cried, her bottom lip trembling as wetness made her eyes shine. “Such a beautiful love story! Young hearts connecting through the most timeless feeling of all! What passion!”

Sorey and Mikleo shared a mortified-but-secretly-pleased look.

“Although,” Lailah said, changing her tone to Prime Lord instructor-mode, “your technique is a little sloppy, Sorey. You need a lot more practice before you master the art of kissing—”

 “—Hey now!” Mikleo interrupted defensively, reaching for his true love’s hand. “Sorey is doing _just fine_ , thank you very much! No, _better_ than fine. He’s…”

Sorey used his leverage to haul Mikleo in for another kiss, this one a little deeper than the others. Mikleo went slack in his arms and hummed approvingly.

Zaveid wolf-whistled.

“Great,” Edna deadpanned, rocking on her heels, “we got the Shepherd awake again and now we have the new problem of tearing him away from his oh-so-wonderful, magical boyfriend.” Sighing, she twirled her umbrella decisively and concluded, “So we’re still screwed. Good-bye, world.”

“ _Seriously_ ,” Rose agreed, crossing her arms. “All this effort for no profit?”

Sorey and Mikleo kept kissing, growing bolder by the minute and obviously forgetting their surroundings.

Alisha choked on supposedly clean mountain air, giving her girlfriend a significant look. “That’s not true!” she protested, too sweet to be sly. “Sorey is profiting.”

Rose rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I’d almost rather he be asleep.”

Frowning, Alisha warned, “Don’t jinx us!”

Rose made a point of rolling her eyes harder. “What? We have the True Love Kiss Cure readymade now,” she said, gesturing to the curse remedy still ongoing. “Sorey can get blasted with as many Sleeping Curses as he wants.”

“I think he wants to enjoy his sweet, sweet medicine without the life-threatening need for it,” Zaveid said with a smirk.

Zenrus nodded his agreement and motioned towards the doorway. “Those boys have always been so stubborn,” he lamented, though the fondness lacing his voice was apparent. “Since they won’t stop, _I’ll_ set you up in an empty house for the duration of your visit.”

“Thank you, Lord Zenrus,” Lailah said quickly. She opened the door.

Zenrus stepped out and smiled widely, lifting his face to the sun, and the waiting crowd of Elysian seraphim erupted into cheers.

Lailah joined in without hesitation, clapping gleefully until the last whoop died down. Beyond happiness for her young friend, she was ecstatic about what Mikleo would mean for their quest. Sorey would not be another Michael. To that end, she was willing to let Sorey recover until he felt ready to make a move.

It was time to face the Lord of Calamity. Their dangerous quest was almost at an end. It was crunch time, and Sorey…

…was taking just a _little_ break to stock up on long-overdue kisses with his True Love.


	12. Tainted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Shepherd comes across a powerful drake. Sorey isn't too keen on attacking it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I neither own nor make any profit from this Tales of Zestiria fanfiction. My only proceeds come in the form of kudos, comments, and Tumblr notifications and messages. (@NeoDiji)
> 
> THIS WAS MY FAVORITE TO WRITE. I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS ONE, CLICHE THOUGH IT MIGHT BE.

Sorey stood frozen in the whipping wind, staring upwards with glazed eyes and a slack jaw.

“Hello, earth to Sorey!” Edna groaned, elbowing Sorey in the side. When that had no effect, she continued, “We _kind of_ need the Shepherd’s power to take on a drake. You know, whenever you realize that writing awful poetry in your head is less important than saving the world.” Lightning crackled between ominous clouds, shedding flickering flashes of light on the flying threat prowling the skies.

Lailah pushed her way to the front of the urgently-whispering group. The heavy rain almost drowned out her voice. “We should hurry, Sorey, before he turns into a full dragon!”

 _That_ shook Sorey out of his stupor.

Before he could make a move, Rose armatized with Dezel and flew into the stormy sky with an impatient, “You’re taking too long!”

“Wait!” Sorey called, his voice cracking as he stumbled forward and stretched out a futile hand.

Alisha sighed and confided, “I’m worried about her, too.” She cast a forlorn look at her ineffective spear, then looked back at her girlfriend riding the wind. A determined expression hardened her face, put a glint in her eyes. It was still dark, but the sun was always waiting on the other side of the clouds. “It’ll be okay.”

Grimacing, Sorey peered around frantically and mumbled, “No, no, gotta get up there.” Catching Lailah’s eye, a crazed smile twisted his lips and he shouted, “Fethmus Mioma!” In fire-armatus form, Sorey leapt up and intercepted one of Rose’s and Dezel’s joint mystic artes, shielding the drake from a direct hit.

“You idiot!” Rose shouted as Sorey and Lailah fell separately to the muddy ground with two distinct thud-splats.

“Seriously?” Edna demanded, trying desperately to hide the fear and worry in her voice. She hurried to help Lailah sit up and glared at a still-stunned Sorey. “You have the true power of the Shepherd and you use it to deliberately jump into the line of fire to save the enemy?!”

Sorey weakly nodded as Alisha helped him up. A relieved smile crossed his face as he followed the unhurt drake with his eyes.

Rose landed lightly on the ground, and a magnified twist of her voice and Dezel’s erupted: “What the hell were you thinking?!”

“How could you put yourself—and not to mention Lailah—into danger like that?!” Edna snapped, on a full rampage now. “You’re lucky you both weren’t killed on the spot!”

Alisha winced and helped support Sorey’s weight. “Um, they do have valid points,” she said, shifting her stance. She slipped a little in the mud but held her ground.

Sorey groaned and hung his head. “I’m sorry, Lailah,” he murmured, massaging his forehead. “I should have—but I jumped in without thinking things through—like always—I just couldn’t let him be hurt—please understand—but I was still wrong.” He glanced at her directly, finally concerned instead of apologetic. “Are you okay?”

Lailah smiled feebly but straightened her posture. “I’m feeling _over_ the weather,” she giggled. “Get it?!”

“She’s fine,” Edna concluded wryly, rolling her eyes.

Sorey grinned in relief.

Lailah refocused and looked thoughtfully up at the sky, where the drake was flapping its wings and hanging in place. “But I still don’t understand,” she mused, glancing between Sorey and the hellion.

Lifting his head into the pouring rain, Sorey saw the white-and-blue drake stare straight back at him, its gaze glinting with raw power under a familiar circlet. Sorey was mesmerized. Sucking in a deep breath, he said, “He’s my—”

Then the drake dove down and shook the ground as it landed in front of Sorey and lowered its head, staring eye-to-eye with the Shepherd. Its purple eyes turned a smidgeon less feral. The storm started to die.

“Okay,” Rose muttered, finally releasing the wind armatus. Alisha stepped back beside her, putting space between herself and the drake. “This is weird.”

In their own world now, Sorey stretched his hand out, and the drake nosed into his gloved palm.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Lailah breathed, leaning on Edna.

Sorey stepped closer and slowly swept his free hand over the drake’s head. His fingers brushed the giant green gemstone decorating the middle of the drake’s forehead before trailing down the center of the drake’s face in a loving caress. “Hey there, Mikleo,” he murmured in a ragged voice. “I’m—I’m so sorry.”

The drake snorted and lashed its tail.

The party members all gave each other confused looks.

“I’ve done so many things wrong,” Sorey blurted, suddenly throwing his arms around the drake’s long neck. “So many bad things that happened are my fault. But this…seeing you like this…oh, Mikleo, it’s the worst!”

The drake snorted again, this time a little softer, and curved its neck around Sorey like it was returning the hug.

Shepherd and drake held their intimate position for several heartbeats, seeming to soak in each other’s presence.

Lailah shook Edna frantically by the shoulders and pointed, as if Edna wasn’t already watching the surreal scene.

“He’s hugging the drake,” Alisha stage-whispered for Dezel’s benefit.

Dezel pulled his hat down further over his eyes and smirked. “So _that’s_ how he’s channeling all that love.”

Rose looked at Alisha for answers, then crossed her arms with an annoyed huff when Alisha looked back just as clueless.

Sorey slowly pulled back, and the drake lightly nudged him in the chest with its head. Laughing outright at the playful gesture, Sorey made a fist and held out his arm like an offering.

The drake reared back, fluttering its wings for balance, and curled one foreleg’s toes and claws into a cumbersome fist to match Sorey’s.

Vibrating with excitement, Shepherd and drake performed some kind of secret handshake ritual that no one else could follow. Skin and scales pressed together at the wrists for a long moment before the drake dropped back down to all fours, making a soft rumbling sound of approval in its throat. Again, it bent its neck until green and purple stared right into each other with all the electricity of the passing storm.

Smiling through his tears, Sorey grabbed the drake by the sides of its face and pulled it even closer, dropping a tender kiss on the end of its snout.

The drake made a sound eerily close to a squeak—if that was possible—and immediately tucked its face under a wing.

“Someone wake me when reality starts making sense,” Edna huffed, mimicking the drake and hiding her face with her parasol.

The drake’s tail twitched as Sorey disappeared under the wing, too.

“I know I have no right to ask,” Sorey said, his voice muffled, “but please don’t leave me. Let me help you.”

After a brief moment, the drake gently pushed Sorey back into the open before retreating again and pressing its wing tighter over its head.

“ _Mikleo_ ,” Sorey pleaded, pressing his wet face into the drake’s scales. “I should never have left without you. I made a huge mistake. I can’t change the past, but I can make things right now.” Shuddering with sobs, he wrapped his arms around as much of the drake as he could and declared, “ _I love you_.”

The drake tentatively withdrew its head from under the wing, its purple eyes wide and intelligent. Completely tame. Sparking with interest.

Lailah jabbed her finger repeatedly in their direction, her mouth silently hanging open and her eyes glittering. Edna blocked her from sight using her umbrella. Alisha bounced on her feet in anticipation, causing Rose to shoot Dezel a “Help, my girlfriend’s crazy” pleading look that he couldn’t see anyway.

“I love you, I love you, I love you, oh Mikleo—!” Sorey kept crying, pressing as close as he could get. “No matter what, I love you.”

The drake leaned down to nuzzle him.

Then, a white and blue glow of flame surrounded both Sorey and the drake. Sunshine swallowed the remainder of the dark clouds. Purification. The drake shrunk and morphed until it was a young water seraph wrapped around Sorey in a warm embrace. His clothing had the same markings he’d had as a drake, linking him to the hellion in case there had been any question.

Sorey lifted his head from the water seraph’s chest and croaked, “Mikleo.”

And the water seraph swallowed a hiccup and said, “S-Sorey…”

Lailah sank back down, smiling serenely. “I see now.”

Clutching Rose’s hand, Alisha ventured, “How did you know?”

Sorey readjusted himself in the water seraph’s loving hold before answering, “I’d know my Mikleo anywhere.”

“So, what,” Rose asked, “this guy Mikleo got himself tainted because he was heartbroken without _Sorey_ , of all people?”

Sorey shot a look of playful contempt over his shoulder, the effect ruined by the tearstains on his cheeks. “What’s that supposed to mean?!”

Mikleo hugged Sorey closer and stroked his hair, looking like he couldn’t believe what he was getting to do. “I didn’t want to wait any longer for you to come home,” he said softly, addressing the grass. “So I set out after you.”

“And without a vessel in this world _drenched_ in malevolence,” Lailah took over, adding an emotional punch to her dramatics, “and _brimming_ with despair as you searched _hopelessly_ for your _beloved_ friend, you couldn’t last long on your own.”

“Wow,” Edna deadpanned, “Lailah doesn’t even try and she’s better than you, Sorey.”

Decidedly ignoring that, Sorey burrowed deeper into Mikleo’s arms like he was trying to make up for lost time.

Nodding, Mikleo buried his face in Sorey’s shoulder. “I’m…I’m sorry I was so weak. I never meant to be a liability.”

“No!” Sorey protested, cupping the back of Mikleo’s head. His hand was trembling with emotion. “You weren’t. You aren’t.”

Alisha dragged Rose forward and chirped, “Actually, I think it’s the opposite. You were strong enough to need only Sorey’s love to be purified.” The sun shone brighter, and a warm breeze blew away the muggy air. “I mean, you didn’t need to be beaten down with artes until you were ready to change back.”

Rose looked away and whistled innocently. Dezel let out a soft “humph.”

Ignoring her, Sorey nodded his agreement with Alisha. “You have a strong heart, Mikleo.”

“It’s all yours, if you still want it,” Mikleo choked out, wiping at his cheeks.

Sorey stared at him with another glazed look, inwardly glowing as brightly as when he used his purification powers. “I do,” he murmured, pressing a soft kiss against Mikleo’s temple. He gently took over brushing away Mikleo’s tears, and a skipped heartbeat later, Mikleo was mirroring the action on Sorey. Leaning in close, Sorey promised, “And you’ve _always_ had mine, even when we were so far apart. I love you so much, Mikleo.”

“I love you, too, Sorey,” Mikleo answered, his eyes fluttering shut in pure contentment. The time for holding back was over. They had to seize their moments where they could, squeezing as much as possible between life's unpredictable roadblocks. They brushed noses.

Lailah stifled a squeal and again gestured wildly at the two boys.

“All right already, we _see_ them,” Edna groaned, peeking past her umbrella every so often to stay current. She paused awkwardly then, shooting in Dezel’s direction, “No offense.”

Dezel shrugged. “None taken. Something tells me I’m better off.”

Sorey kissed the side of Mikleo’s head repeatedly. “And I’m sorry again for leaving—”

Mikleo snorted and pulled back just far enough to stare into Sorey’s eyes. “Do I need to hellionize again so I can kick your ass for apologizing too much?”

Eyes starting to twinkle, Sorey joked back, “Depends. Is that the only way you can beat me?”

With a look of mock-outrage, Mikleo glanced away and remained silent.

“I can already predict how this is going to go,” Edna said dryly, closing her umbrella. Stomping her foot, she used her artes to dig a grave. “Give me a moment to mourn my lost peace.”

“What peace?” Dezel asked skeptically, turning his back on the growing craziness.

Rose nodded, jutting out a hip. “Exactly.”

Sorey turned to Edna, brow furrowed as if he’d been holding back for the right moment. “Okay, that's enough time. So, what’s wrong with my poetry?!”

And that was how Mikleo, at least, found peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I have waayyyy too many adorable mental images in my head now. @_@


	13. Thanksgiving

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I neither own nor make any profit from this Tales of Zestiria fanfiction. My only proceeds come in the form of kudos, comments, and Tumblr notifications and messages. (@NeoDiji)
> 
> Happy Thanksgiving. <3

Torrents of rain pelted the earth as tree branches whipped in chill gusts, their continuous swishing a backdrop to the rumbling thunder and heated exchanges zipping between party members. Tempers snapped as easily as twigs in the wind as day after day brought nothing but more of the never-ending deluge. Pendrago was in a sad state indeed, and Sorey was still investigating how to make the sky stop crying.

For now, he’d settle for soothing his companions’ dark moods. “Take shelter!” he cried, motioning the others towards a convenient cave opening.

Amidst grumbling, everyone trekked into the cave and flopped on the ground. Shivering, they wrung out their clothes and huddled together without eye-contact. Lailah supplied a small fire in the middle of their circle while Edna carefully tweaked the size and shape of the cave they were using to be more accommodating. Stressed murmurs about staying in civilization bounced off the rock walls, blending together in a low cacophony of negativity.

“I hate this damn rain,” Rose muttered under her breath, glaring towards the outside.

With a small smile, Alisha took her hand and shifted closer. “We’re all tired of it,” she said diplomatically, glancing at everyone’s sour expressions (plus Sorey’s weak attempts to keep smiling). “But complaining is only going to make us feel worse. We should focus on things we _do_ have.”

Perking up, Lailah interjected, “Like each other!”

Even as Edna snorted, Alisha bobbed her head and said, “Yes, exactly!”

“I’m grateful for all of you, too,” Sorey put in, his smile growing more natural as he looked at each new friend in turn. In the shelter of the cave, the steady stream of rain sounded almost calming. “You’ve all taught me so much.”

Rose slumped against Alisha’s side. “I’m just glad there’s gald. And spunky princesses.”

Alisha’s blush glowed even in the dim firelight.

After Edna had added how she was grateful for gullible idiots because of endless entertainment, Zaveid had rambled about hot babes, and Dezel had murmured something about animals, the topic turned slightly deeper.

“Who are you _most_ thankful for?” Lailah asked, peering between Rose and Alisha with sly eyes.

Her obvious intents backfired. “I’m most grateful for my mentor, Maltran,” Alisha said, explaining how Maltran how trained her in the ways of the spear and of life.

Rose argued about how Brad was a better mentor, and they went back and forth in a lighthearted lover’s quarrel that proved more entertaining than Lailah’s original objectives.

Gloom dissipated, almost like it was malevolence purified by the deepening bonds of friendship. It was when laughter had eased the tension in everyone’s shoulders that Sorey volunteered, “I’m most thankful for Mikleo.”

Edna blinked. “Come again?”

“Mikleo,” Sorey said again with a lovesick expression. “Lailah asked who we were most thankful for, and he’s my answer. He’s always my answer.”

Moderately intrigued, Rose wondered, “Who’s Mikleo?”

And Alisha tacked on, keeping with the theme, “Is he your lifelong mentor?”

Sorey softly shook his head and turned to stare at the pouring rain with wistful eyes. “He’s my Everything,” he whispered, his words almost lost under the crackling fire and splatter of raindrops on stone. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. “I don’t know how to explain it.”

“Try,” suggested Lailah, her voice full of encouragement like when she was guiding him to improve his Shepherd capabilities. They were teammates, supporting each other. In a sense, the rain was now washing away the sour feelings it had brought.

Straightening his shoulders, Sorey opened his eyes and tore his gaze from the falling water. “He’s the moon to my sun.”

Edna quirked an eyebrow and shared a glance with Zaveid. “We might make a poet out of you yet, Sorey,” she drawled. “Cliché, but beginners have to start somewhere.”

Ignoring her jibes, Sorey continued in a flood of affection. “He’s my best friend. More than my best friend. He’d keep me warm and safe. I wouldn’t even mind all this rain if only I could be with Mikleo in it. I want to spend my life with him, exploring ruins and saving people and reading and kiss—uh…” He groaned, hanging his head in mortification. “...There’s no way to recover from that, is there?”

“Nope,” Edna confirmed brightly, even as Lailah giggled in the background.

Sorey groaned even louder.

Alisha leaned forward, careful not to get too close to the fire. “Where is Mikleo then?” she asked gently, clutching Rose’s hand even tighter.

Smile turning melancholy, Sorey said, “I can feel him in the rain.”

“At least _someone_ gets something out of this downpour,” Rose griped before growing solemn. “I get it, though. After I lost Brad, I started to feel him in my daggers. Guiding me.”

Alisha snuggled closer to her girlfriend in comfort.

Sorey blinked, his mind racing. “Oh, Mikleo’s not dead,” he corrected quickly once he caught on. “I just left him because I’m an idiot.”

“He _can_ be taught,” Edna deadpanned to Lailah.

Lailah pursed her lips. “We’ll see. Sorey, what does rain have to do with this?”

Everyone seemed to hold their breaths, like this was the key to their journey. It was, at the very least, a key to understanding their Shepherd.

“Mikleo’s element is water,” Sorey explained, gesturing to the heavy rain. “I guess it’s just a constant reminder—I mean, I miss him and I constantly feel his absence, but it almost feels like he’s here with me, too.”

Alisha’s face softened in the firelight. “I’m sure he is with you in spirit.”

Finally sharing about Mikleo seemed to have lifted _everyone’s_ spirits. Sorey felt relieved to let loose about his precious water seraph, and the others seemed pleased that he was letting them into his private life after so many moons of tight lips and steadfast deflections. This was the first time on their journey that Sorey had ever voluntarily shared personal details, and in the now-cozy comfort of the cave while the rain poured down outside, the team _started_ to come together again.

It was enough to bolster Sorey’s belief that they would yet save Pendrago, and he gave extra thanks to the Five Lords. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “This is rather anticlimactic,” Edna complained, creating a deep hole under the above writer who'd shared nothing of substance. "Thankfully, I can fix that."
> 
> Lailah rushed forward in clear worry. "Edna, they can't all be as interesting as the Drake oneshot!"
> 
> It turned out that the fanfic writer was deeply grateful for Edna's mercy.


	14. Replacement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I neither own nor make any profit from this Tales of Zestiria fanfiction. My only proceeds come in the form of kudos, comments, and Tumblr notifications and messages. (@NeoDiji)

“So, who is he?”

Startled, Sorey dropped the Celestial Record and fumbled twice before retrieving it from the dirt. “Uh,” he mumbled, looking anywhere but at his newest teammate. The ancient pillars needed to be studied, after all. In-depth. “I don’t know…that is…who are you…”

Uno chuckled, crossing his arms. “You’re a terrible liar.”

Sorey squeaked and almost dropped his book again.

Rolling his eyes, Uno played along. “The young water seraph you think of every time we armatize,” he said slowly, giving Sorey a chance to process the information. “The one with the violet eyes and the blue suit. He wields a staff so he can spray things.”

“Oh,” Sorey said weakly. “That one.”

Uno smirked. “Yes, that one. Your heart stutters when you think of him.”

Lailah popped up out of nowhere, as if she’d been reeled in by juicy gossip.

Nodding a greeting, Uno continued to Sorey, “Every time you and I armatize, we go through this process where your essence initially rejects mine. We have to get over that hump each time, like I’m not what you expect, and it’s costing us precious time in battle.” Leaning to one side, he instead put both hands on his hips, radiating confidence. “I can tell you want him instead. So I’m asking, who is he?”

Sorey opened and closed his mouth several times, looking at the rest of his team who had all gathered around to listen uninvited. “That’s, uh,” he said again, taking a swig of water because he couldn’t swallow around the stickiness in his throat. The water made him think of— “Mikleo.”

Uno hummed while Lailah nodded encouragingly.

“He’s my—my most precious—” Sorey said, looking away from Edna’s look of irritation.

“Sorey,”  Lailah said gently, taking his gloved hand between both of hers. “If you had a water seraph in mind, why didn’t you say anything?”

Sorey hurriedly shook his head. “No!” he burst out, wincing at how loud his voice echoed. “Mikleo can’t be a part of this. He has to stay safe.”

“But you _want_ him,” Uno pointed out, sounding not at all hurt or judgmental. “Sorey, not to boast, but I’m a fairly strong water seraph and even I am having trouble sharing my element with you. I doubt _any_ other water seraph could armatize with you when your soul yearns for Mikleo.”

Heaving a sigh, Sorey nodded a wary acceptance as he came to the opposite conclusion. “I guess we’ll have to do without water then.”

Uno lifted his chin in surprise. “I’m not saying I won’t still help you,” he clarified calmly, “but I just think there is a better fit. I don’t want you to have to settle, Shepherd.”

Sorey bit his lip and turned away, and that was the end of that. For the night.

-+-

“Why are we here?” Sorey asked suspiciously as they entered the Aroundight Forest.

Lailah looked to Uno, who straightened his posture before answering, “Even if your ultimate decision is still ‘no,’ you should at least explore what it would feel like to armatize with your Mikleo.”

Sorey’s cheeks heated up at the possessive modifier.

“Then you can accurately compare,” Uno said. “Only then will I accept your decision should you choose to keep me as your water elemental seraph.”

That time, Sorey couldn’t find it in him to disagree.

-+-

It was pure jealousy that tightened the muscles in Mikleo’s face at the armatization demonstration, and Sorey’s heart leapt with glee at the discovery. His observations were backed by Uno’s, clearly understood through their synced connection.

 _Think how much better this will be_ , Uno murmured, _with **him**_.

With Mikleo so close and clearly wanting to fuse, Sorey didn’t see the harm in trying it out. Once. In the safety of Elysia and Gramps’s domain. He let go of the water armatus quicker than he’d ever done before, and he was turning to Lailah about pacts before he could even feel solid ground under his feet.

Uno gracefully broke his pact, leaving the spot open for Mikleo.

Lailah went through the litany of sacred words in front of the entire village who’d showed up to watch, and Mikleo only stared at Sorey with a calm expression when it came time to declare his True Name.

Trembling, Sorey stumbled after a single step, and Uno stopped himself mid-snort in the background. Feeling the urge to melt into Mikleo intensify, Sorey said softly, “Luzrov Rulay.”

The difference was astounding. With Uno, Sorey felt fairly powerful as with any of the other seraphim. With Mikleo, he felt like he could take on the Lord of Calamity one-handed and win. Or rather, he felt like _they_ could take on the Lord of Calamity _one_ -handed and win. Water artes had never felt so alive.

“…—rey? Sorey!”

Jerking to attention, Sorey moved his-and-Mikleo’s ( _not_ his and Uno’s!) face to the side. “What?” he asked, focusing more on the electricity between him and Mikleo. Inside. Because _Mikleo_ was _inside_ —

“Not bad, huh?” Uno asked with a smirk, leaning back with confidence as he crossed his arms. “I’ll still help you however I can, Shepherd. Congratulations on becoming one with the person you’ve so desired all along.”

Mikleo’s embarrassment rose along with Sorey’s at the insinuations, but Sorey was tickled to find the healthy kind of possession and commitment burning through Mikleo’s side of their fusion. Then Mikleo somehow latched on tighter, pouring yet _more_ of his essence into Sorey as if to communicate, “I’m not letting you go this time. You’re _mine_.”

Truly, Sorey thought, Mikleo had him by the heart and soul.

And with the power coursing through them—him and _Mikleo_ , he’d never allowed himself to dream—he couldn’t find it in him anymore to protest Uno’s wisdom.


	15. Pitted Enemies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heldalf has a secret weapon, and Mikleo's got it all wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I neither own nor make any profit from this Tales of Zestiria fanfiction. My only proceeds come in the form of kudos, comments, and Tumblr notifications and messages. (@NeoDiji)

“You can fight with all your might against me,” Heldalf said around a throaty cackle, “but can you fight _him_?”

Sorey’s mouth went dry as Mikleo appeared, as if summoned by Heldalf’s wave. Tree branches rustled as the wind caused small waves on the lakeshore adjacent to their fighting grounds.

Edna, Rose, and Zaveid braced themselves for battle. Lailah and Alisha hung back, exchanging worried glances.

“Mikleo!” Sorey gasped, stepping forward and letting his sword hang loose. He ignored his teammates’ gawking. “What’s going on?”

Chin quivering, Mikleo lifted his face. “You don’t have to worry anymore, Sorey,” he said. His elegant clothes flapped in the wind. “I’m going to save you.”

“Save me?” Sorey echoed, baffled. His sword slipped further.

Mikleo nodded. “Lord Heldalf told me how these seraphim are using you.”

Sorey gasped. “No, Mikleo, he’s lying! Can’t you sense the malevolence? Heldalf reeks of it!”

Mikleo shook his head, looking solemn. “No, Sorey, it’s a trick! I know you’re not with these seraphim of your own free will, and I’m going to save you!”

Sorey blinked and took a step forward, demanding, “Why do you think I’m not here by choice?!”

“Because!” Mikleo roared, lifting his staff. Waves of water spiraled behind him. “You would _never_ have gone off on a world adventure without me!” Bubbles exploded. “The only explanation that makes _sense_ is that you were forced into it!”

It felt like the worst punch to the gut, and Sorey finally dropped his sword. “Oh, Mikleo.”

Alisha covered her mouth with her hand, and Rose twirled her dagger with a thoughtful expression. Edna rolled her eyes while Lailah wiped at hers. Zaveid whistled lowly. Heldalf was as silent as the trees and water.

“I know how easily your kind heart can be taken advantage of,” Mikleo continued, his voice softening. The water torrents dipped down, froth melting at the edges. “I get it, Sorey. But I’m here to help you.”

Shaking his head, Sorey protested, “It’s not what you think.”

“I think you’re confused,” Mikleo said gently, gearing up to attack. He lifted his staff again, aiming towards Alisha and Rose. Violet eyes narrowed with contempt.

Snatching his fallen sword, Sorey rushed to intercept the barrage of water. “Stop!”

Mikleo took a step back and immediately cut off his attack before it could hit Sorey. Sighing as the water dropped harmlessly to the ground, he wondered aloud, “Just how deep is their hold on you?”

“That’s my line,” Sorey shot back, waving at Heldalf. “About _his_ hold on _you_.”

Smiling, Mikleo lifted his chin and corrected, “Lord Heldalf is simply giving me the opportunity to save the person I care about most. If anything, Sorey, it’s _you_ who has a hold on me.”

Lailah gasped in the background while Sorey’s cheeks burned.

“Then listen to me,” Sorey pleaded, holding out his hand. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry?” Mikleo echoed, coming to stand in front of him. As if the words themselves had been magic.

Nodding, Sorey snatched Mikleo’s hands. “I really hurt you,” he said, pulling Mikleo’s cupped hands closer to his heart. The wind died down. “I should have come home and gotten you. I have no excuse.”

Mikleo blinked. “I don’t understand.”

“It’s my own mistake,” Sorey admitted with a wince. “Nobody is controlling me, Mikleo. I travel as the Shepherd of my own free will.”

A look of awe passed over Mikleo’s face before he shook it away. “The Shepherd?”

Sorey cocked his head. “Yeah,” he said, squeezing Mikleo’s hand through his suddenly-shining Shepherd glove. He saw the instant Mikleo recognized it. “Heldalf is the Lord of Calamity, the one destined to be purified by the Shepherd. Why do you think he’s fighting us?”

Mikleo squirmed, then tried to pretend he hadn’t. “Well,” he coughed into his shoulder, “I thought he was just giving me a chance to reach you.”

“Heldalf has his own personal business with us,” Lailah interjected, stepping forward. “It’s as Sorey said.”

Mikleo glanced over his shoulder at Heldalf, who was patiently waiting as if he had all the time in the world. “Are you fighting Sorey?” Mikleo asked, clasping his most important person’s hands even tighter. “Do you expect _me_ to fight Sorey?”

Heldalf shook his head and rumbled, “Even I can see that you would never do that. As for myself, I want the Shepherd to join me. Join _us_.”

“Like _that_ would ever happen,” Edna snorted as Zaveid crossed his arms over his naked chest.

Sorey licked his lips. “It is tempting,” he said, raising his voice to be heard over Edna’s reactionary grumbling, “to _be with Mikleo_. But I have an even better idea.”

Water sprayed Heldalf in the face before anyone could even ask.


End file.
